Mr Furious
by Shandra23
Summary: "Oh, wonderful! Mr. and Mrs. Caveman found their way home!" McKay's voice echoed though the gate room. Life in Atlantis is never dull but when Ronon saves a young woman, who has been tortured for unknown reasons things start to get even more complicated.
1. Mr Furious, the darkness and the animal

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

Timeline: early in 3rd season, but I will go my own way with this story...Hope you will enjoy it anyway.

CHAPTER ONE: MR FURIOUS, THE DARKNESS AND THE ANIMAL

_Pain _

_Fury _

_Darkness_

That was her world.

Pain. Fury. Darkness.

But no fear. She was too furious for that. And the other parts of her, which didn't focus on her fury, they had to deal with the pain.

There was no room for fear. Not in this world. The world, in which she welcomed darkness and where she had learned to transform pain into fury.

And about that...

Man she hadn't been this furious in a damn long time!

What a fucking world!

Now she was alone. Only darkness, pain, fury and her good old self. But she knew _they_ would return soon. Very soon.

They only gave her a little time to rest. To regain her strength. Not enough to fight, but enough to make sure, she wouldn't drift away in the middle of a "session". They really thought they could break her and force her to speak with enough patience and some brutal interrogation methods. Well, mostly with the rough part.

She wondered how many days had passed since Ferrah? Since she had been captured and brought to this place? She didn't have a clue.

But more than that she asked herself how long it would take, till they realized she would keep her mouth shut? How long till they accepted that she wouldn't become a traitor? And how long till the pain would fade away and death spread its filthy little wings for her?

Another person would maybe have welcomed death in her situation, even begged for it. But she wasn't like others. Never had been.

She was strong! And the more pain they inflicted on her, the more fury rose in her. She could feel it rushing through her veins. She couldn't move a fucking finger, but she could feel the hot burning fury rising in her body, with every passing second.

This was what kept her alive! Maybe she wasn't much more than a bleeding, hard breathing _thing _at the moment, but she was still alive. And she wouldn't give up.

She wanted to be alive!

Maybe death was a place without pain, but it was fucking sure a place where she couldn't fulfil her promises. And she never broke a promise made.

Especially not this one!

She sealed it with her blood mixed with her tears over her father's dead body. This one was a sacred promise, one of the kind which had let her father slip away with a smile on his lips.

Fuck, she couldn't even die!

She had promised him two things: Keep their family treasure safe and to do her best to use it. Everyone in her family had made these promises and everyone had done his best but neither of them had found a way to use it.

Now, she was the last of her tribe. With her death nobody would be left to mourn her. She couldn't die. Not like this.

The sound of approaching footsteps disrupted her thoughts immediately and she felt her body stiffen against her will. Since her hands and feet had been chained to the stone wall behind her back, she had very little space to move.

The footsteps were close now and she could hear the rough laugh from one of her tormentors. The one, who always bore a greedy look in his eyes and a cruel smirk on his thin lips. She swallowed hard, but couldn't avoid her guts from flinching. It didn't need a genius to understand the meaning in his looks and dirty grunts. She knew exactly what he would do to her, given the chance his partners wouldn't be there to stop him. She swallowed again and craned out her chin.

Nobody would break her. Regardless of their methods.

The door opened with its familiar creaky sound and a dim ray of light filled the room, before the two men entered her little cell.

"Hello honey! Miss me?" Pervert asked with a greedy smile.

"Fuck you!" She managed to whisper. Her throat was dry and she had to force her chapped lips to form the words.

"No problem, honey. No problem. I'm your man." His lips turned into a wicked smile while he moved towards her and slid a finger teasingly slow over her right cheek. She tried her best to turn around and bite him, but she was too slow. Her body barely followed her orders and the sudden movement increased the uncomfortable dizziness in her head. Ignoring his nasty laugh she blinked a few times to clear her view.

"So, did you spend your time well?" Asked the other man, the one with the red hair. His features didn't show any visible emotion whilst speaking. She looked him straight into the eyes but kept her mouth shut.

He sighed. "Alright. Seems like you need a little bit more" He hesitated to emphasize his next words "Stimulation to answer our questions."

Without another word his fist hit her jaw with enough force to smash her head against the wall.

The dizziness made her feel sick and the next, well- placed punch in her stomach, nearly turned her stomach enough to vomit. Somehow she managed to stay quiet. Only a muffled little moan escaped her throat. She needed a few breathes before she felt strong enough to raise her head again and face him with a depreciated glance.

"Why do you agonize yourself, hm? Is it so hard to give me what I want? Surrender and I grant you a quick and painless death. Remain silent and I promise you pain beyond anything you can imagine."

She felt her yaw stiffen and her new friend Mr. Furious took control. She could feel it and the men had seen it reflected in her eyes, too. To her deepest satisfaction her hatred filled gaze made _Pervert_ step back. For a second a flicker of uncertainness passed over his face, but soon enough he narrowed his eyes and came close again.

"Let me have some quality time with her. To become better acquainted with each other, if you know what I mean. In the aftermath she will do anything only to get a little more affection from me." He winked at her suggestively. "That's a promise, babe!" He grunted with a low voice.

"Maybe later." Redhead agreed. Perhaps it was her luck that she had pissed him off earlier. He was definitely a man who hated to fail. And it made him furious that he hadn't been able to break her yet. She was sure he wouldn't allow Pervert to play with her, before he had been able to break every single bone in her body, or before he lost his patience with her.

Pervert let out a disappointed moan but kept his mouth shut.

She didn't have time to give him a sneer smile, since the redhead grabbed her throat and choked her with soft pressure.

"This is your last chance!" He said with a deceptively soft voice.

"No!" She mumbled hoarsely. Two seconds later her fury was no longer able to dispel the pain, when she heard the dull sound of a breaking rib. Agonizing pain filled her entire body like fiery liquid. Her breath became erratic and she couldn't avoid a small whimper.

"This was your second." He smiled while pressing his hand against her chest, against the rib he had broken only few days ago, forcing another moan of pain out of her. "You know there a ten of this left, and some of them are very close to your lung. It must be very painful when they penetrate it." His voice was soft as ever but his eyes glared at her with a stone cold expression. She knew all too well -ripping her into pieces wouldn't deprive him of his sleep at night.

"You know exactly what a woman wants, don't ya?" Pervert laughed.

She did her best to force her lips to speak and he leaned forward expecting her to tell him what he wanted to hear so badly

"Go on...say it. I know you can." He encouraged her.

"Fuck you!" She whispered through gritted teeth.

His jaw tightened and suddenly his eyes held a deathly glare, which made her insides flinch, but she tried her best to ignore it and focus on her rage. To concentrate on the fury and forget about the pain.

Some time later she wasn't sure if she could stand this any longer, sometime soon maybe during the next couple of minutes or hours she would give in.

In the end she wasn't sure if death was such a bad option at all.

"So maybe finally, you've changed your mind?" Redhead's voice was only a faint whisper in the back of her head and she tried her best to focus on it. But the dizziness was too powerful. Her mind was spinning; she felt waves of nausea turning her stomach and every breath drew liquid fire into her lungs.

_Control! _She had to control herself. No fear. No pain. Only fury, she told herself, but it was so damned hard. There wasn't any part of her body left which didn't hurt.

She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and loose her mind in soothing memories –only for a moment. Just a few seconds, but her pride couldn't allow such a cowardly behaviour. Closing her eyes meant to acknowledge weakness, besides to let either of her punishers out of sight for only the blink of an eye was far from being a good idea.

Redhead sighed theatrically.

"It's a pity! I've never met such a strong woman like you before. Most men would've pissed themselves hours ago. Maybe even earlier. But you... you are indeed a stubborn one, aren't you? To stubborn to realize what is for your own good. I'm not pleased with your obstinate attitude but believe me, when I tell you, that I'm impressed. Really, you've got my admiration."

"What ya talking about?" Pervert asked with a frown.

"Shut up!" Redhead hissed.

She gritted her teeth and tried her best to move but it was futile. The chains were the only reason why she was still standing. Nevertheless, she wasn't done yet. Her earlier thoughts floated through her mind and made her angry. She wouldn't surrender to their means! Never! Capitulation was not a possible option for her. Never had been. Her yaw produced an ugly sound as she pressed her teeth together and forced her body to sit up. She failed but she had tried. That was the only important thing on her mind.

"Give up, woman! You will die. The only question is how. Tell me what I want to know and it will be quick, otherwise..." He was interrupted by the sudden burst of the door when a third man stumbled in.

"What the hell..." Redhead started but the newcomer stopped him.

"Intruders!" That caught Redhead's attention at once. With a last deadly glare in her direction he left the room.

"How did they find us? How many and where are they now?" Were the last words she heard from him before the door closed after him and left herself alone with Pervert.

For a few seconds, silence filled the room and the dying echo of redhead's footsteps was the only noise.

"Seems like it's my turn now, honey!" Pervert chuckled and her body stiffened in response.

Dispelling the pain as good as she could manage she compelled herself again to move but her injuries were too severe. The pain was overwhelming, breathtaking. She wasn't even able to move her head to the side, when Pervert began to stroke her cheek and her hair in a mocking caress. All she could do was trying to elude his disgusting touch.

"No need to be shy!" He grinned and she felt the urgent wish to punch him hard and painful in an area of his body where it would hurt the most. Her left eye was thick and swollen but it seemed that the look in her remaining eye showed him how she felt about his approach. Unfortunately this seemed to be a huge turn on for him.

Now he was close enough to smell his abhorrent scent. A shiver of pure disgust washed over her, when she felt his rotten breath on her skin. Maybe her empty stomach was the only reason she didn't gave in to puke.

"Like that, hu?" He grunted while his hands moved slowly over her body and made her tremble. This time she had succeeded to move her body, only to be rewarded with a mind blowing agony which made her scream.

"Yeah, you like that!" He chuckled. "Never mind, honey. Scream as much as you like. I usually have this effect on women!"

One of his hands slid up to roughly squeeze her breasts, while the other made its way up to her butt, stroking her waist and hips greedily.

"Nice ass, honey. It's a pity that I can't release these lovely chains and take proper care of your backside, if you know what I mean!" He explained in the dirtiest voice she ever heard. "Chains..." She choked. "Only way..." She took a deep breath and concentrated on her inner friend Mr. Furious who seemed eager to help her. "You'll ever..." She swallowed hard and finally managed to say: "Have a woman!"

From one second to the other the horny smile on his lips vanished and a cruel smirk took its place.

"Fucking bitch! I will teach you respect, believe me." Whilst speaking he punched her with full force. She wasn't sure if it was on purpose or only a lucky shot, but his fist met exactly the broken rip on her right side. The exploding burst of pain send little stars dancing before her eyes until finally, she was pulled into a dark abyss of unconsciousness.

The next thing she noticed was pain. What a surprise! It took some time till the fog around her mind cleared and she was able to notice the roaming hands on her body again. Her breath quickened when she realized that Pervert didn't waste any time to rip the clothes from her unconscious form. Instead he had sliced the front of her dirty and blood covered shirt. He didn't pay any attention to her undergarments but tried immediately to pull down the remnants of her soiled pants. He fumbled hectically with the buttons and cursed, when he couldn't manage to undo them. Overwhelming fear of what was to come sent shivers down her spine and erased any coherent thoughts. She was paralyzed- unable to think, unable to breathe. She wasn't even able to restrain her fear and calm down. Meanwhile Pervert had lost his patience with the uncooperative leather of her pants and used his knife again.

"No panic, honey!" He smiled as he became aware of her regained consciousness. "Won't take long till you have your share of _Big evil_."

A sudden very familiar sound of gunfire caught her attention and to her great relief Perverts, too. A little spark of hope rose in her chest when the sound of loud voices reached her ear. With a little luck somebody would find her in here. Whatever the intruders would to do her, it couldn't be as bad as Perverts _needs._ Right now she would gladly prefer a wraith feeding on her instead of Perverts filthy hands on her body.

Mr. Furious tried to get her attention and she was more than willing to let him take control. Even more as she noticed Perverts eyes snap back to her and the nasty smile which played on his lips.

"Sorry, honey. Seems as if we need to hurry a little bit!"

He let go of her still buttoned up pants and fumbled with the buttons of his own leather pants. He never took his eyes off of her and his look wasn't hard to read.

She was in deep trouble and the sounds of gunfire were as distant as before. Too far away she realised, to reach her in time

"Forget it, baby!" He laughed cruelly as he turned to her and grabbed her breasts again. His touch caused another wave of nausea and she tried hard to wriggle from his grip with all her remaining strength.

"Don't!" Her throat felt like sandpaper and her voice barley sounded like herself. "Touch me and you'll die!" She choked not very convincingly. But damn it! She would find a way to make him bleed for this.

"Ah, really?" He asked. For a second he seemed to be highly amused, the next he grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the stonewall. Again darkness sent a tempting invitation but this time she didn't pass out.

"Snotty little bitch! There won't be any knight in shining armour to save ya!" He hissed and slapped her again, this time with the pommel of his knife. Her skin split open and sticky blood dripped in her good eye and made her blink. Her disorientation seemed to offer a golden opportunity for Pervert. The next instant she felt his disgusting lips on her. He placed heated wet kisses on her shoulder, her throat and her neck, marking her already bruised skin with his teeth, while his free hand roamed over her body. She struggled and squirmed with full force- the only effect gained was that his hands pressed her even closer against him. A harsh gasp escaped her dry throat as he roughly reached between her legs. She wanted to throw up but suddenly he forced his lips on hers and she had a much better idea.

Mr. Furious coaxed her to open her lips and this mangy son of a bitch didn't think twice and slipped his tongue eagerly into her mouth.

_Payday! _And with this thought she crunched her teeth together. The smell of his blood, spilling into her mouth, made her smile and his ear-piercing scream of pain raised a deep satisfaction in her. She spit out the piece of his tongue, she had bitten off, and revelled in the feeling of his blood streaming down her chin. All the time he was screaming and buckling while Mr. Furious pat her on her shoulder.

"Fukin´... itch!" Pervert mumbled and she could see tears in his eyes. Suddenly a wave of power rushed through her veins and she wasn't able to suppress a chuckle of satisfaction. For a moment the pain and the dizziness were gone and she felt like a mighty goddess, ready to crush her tormentor right beneath her feet, like the filthy scum he was.

Then the moment was gone and the agony came back. Pervert slammed his knee between her legs and she hunched down in pain as much as her chains and her broken rips allowed her. Caught by pure rage he punched her again and again, yelling at her while the blood bubbled out of his mouth.

"Bitch!" He roared and gripped her hair. Blinded by pure bloodlust he drew his knife and instantly she knew exactly what was to come. But instead of aiming at her chest he slammed the blade into her right thigh.

She screamed out in agony as he started to twist the blade in her flesh. White flashes of pain split through her brain and for a moment her breath was caught in her throat.

"Fuckin cunt!" He choked and twisted the knife 360 degrees. When she screamed again, the door burst open with a big bang and just a second before her mind slipped away she saw the outlines of a man in the opening. Hell, he was a giant! And the look on his face, the moment he recognized what was going on, displayed pure rage.

At least, she thought drifting away, Pervert had failed. Her knight in shining armour had come to save her. Even if it was only an illusion caused by her friend Mr. Furious. A last pleasant image before the very end.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

Ronon was with Lorne's Team. Searching for the missing SG Team which disappeared traceless two weeks ago. When the information about the guys with the P 90s got in, Sheppard and Teyla had already left for New Athos. That's why he left with the other team.

Except for the missing team, time was really boring in Atlantis at the moment and he had been glad to go off world. Looking for a little action. Just a slight level of adrenaline. After all his years as a runner, Atlantis was the first place where he had really allowed himself to relax from time to time. But letting the guard down, was always risky and his instincts warned him of being too careless. Beyond that he wasn't the type to just sit around and do nothing. His primitive side, fed with rage in his runner years, was too strong for that.

No surprise his inner animal was more than pleased to find himself in a battle, soon after they had left the village and scanned the forest for a vague hint of one of the natives.

They had come across an old ruin guarded by a couple of men. Four of them armed with the P 90s from the missing team.

Lorne had known him for quite a time now and after a quick glance, only nodded in approval. Apparently the major was not in the mood to argue about his strategies. That was all encouragement he had needed. Without hesitation Ronon had made his way around the ruin. Before the guards could react he had taken two of them down and when the others realized what was going on it had been too late and Lorne and the other two men had taken care of them.

Only one had been quick enough to escape. He disappeared traceless in the inner part of the ruins and it didn't need a pro to understand that there had to be a hidden door or something like that.

It took some time to find it but in the end the absence of dust in front of the stone shrine betrayed the well hidden place.

Beneath the shrine plate an old stairway was revealed; its stairs were contorted and reached deep inside the earth. There was barely enough light to see the ground and he could see that Lorne wasn't brim over with enthusiasm by the thought of stepping down there. He wasn't either. But he didn't hesitate to climb down the stairs. There would be enough time to worry later. Like always.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but short time after they had reached the ground he was separated from the others. And audio didn't work. He barely shrugged his shoulders and moved on. After all he was better on his own in such places and he knew that Lorne and the others could take care of themselves.

A few minutes later a muffled groan caught his attention. He paused for what seemed an eternity, sharpened his senses and concentrated. The same moment he was sure he had heard something, gunfire caught his ears. He flipped around and was on his way to join the others, when a rough laugh caught his attention again. He tightened the grip on his gun with an unwilling growl and returned to the small tunnel. His guts told him that something wasn't right. Other than the fact that strangers had detected Lorne and the others. And it didn't take long till muffled words insured him that he had been right. He couldn't be far but the tunnel got darker and darker till it was pitch black and he lost his bearing for a moment. Suddenly a painful scream, which came definitely from a man, filled the air and he was back on his way. The tunnel he was in arched and he recognized soon that he had been on the wrong side. The moment he turned around the corner the darkness lit up. The dim light was enough to see the door in-grounded in the roughly carved stone wall.

_Bitch! _Ronon heard a man in pure rage roar followed by a heart disrupting high pitched scream from a woman. His feet kicked the door open before he even noticed and his hand raised his gun automatically up, in the exact position, to blow away everyone who could pose a possible threat. His entrance was accompanied by another agonizing scream from the woman. This time he felt his guts twist and after a quick glance he knew exactly why she was screaming.

His eyes snapped back to her face; the painful expression faded away and something he wasn't sure about crossed it instead. Astonishment? Hope? Before he could get sure she backed off.

The moment he looked into her eyes, something within him broke free and reached the surface. His primeval side took control over him and this time it was pure rage. He wasn't sure why, but the blood covered punished body, secured with heavy chains to the wall, unleashed his inner animal, like he hadn't felt it in a damn long time.

Without hesitation he triggered his gun. The bullet hit the man's chest before he was able to react, and Ronon watched his lifeless body hit the ground. A part of him immediately filled with deep satisfaction, the other, the dangerous part was frustrated that it had been over so quickly. Even now he had to fight he urge to kick the hell out of the lifeless body. But with a little luck hell was exactly the place where he had been sent.

For a second he nearly gave in to his inner animal, but a quick glance at the woman changed his mind. She had a strange effect on him. A part of him still screamed for blood, but the other, the one with the upper hand at the moment only wanted to insure her safety. He put his gun down and hurried to her side. Her chains were no match for him. Funny what a knife and brute force could do. Without the chains holding her, she collapsed like a puppet, cut free from its strings. Suspecting something like that, he had no trouble to catch her before she hits the ground. He shifted her in his arms, not able to avoid a further glance at her bruised body. The numerous cuts and dark coloured marks made him feel sick and he gritted his teeth painfully, trying to concentrate on the situation.

This wasn't the right moment for thoughts like that, he remembered himself. The dripping blood from her right leg, where a knife stuck in her thigh, forced him to hurry. The moment he reached the door he hesitated. He couldn't shoot and carry her at the same time. The moment he realized that, he was surprised to find out that he couldn't hear the sounds of gunfire any longer.

Where the hell was had he been with its thoughts? At least it couldn't be more than a few minutes till he had entered the room and cut her free. But even though he was sure, Lorne and the others were the ones, who had won the match, he couldn't assume that the area was safe now. Unfortunately he had no other choice than to risk his luck.

A few minutes later he reached the stairways without any trouble, only to met a totally confused Lorne.

"Who's that?" The Major asked with a frown.

"Don't know!" He answered truthfully without slowing down. He took three steps the same time and heard the major hurry to catch up with him. Back on the surface Ronon noticed the others had finally found the missing team. Well, three of them. Two of them were injured and needed the help of the others to stand straight. They showed cuts and broken bones but that was nothing compared to the injuries of the woman. The prospect of being back to Atlantis soon seemed to recover their strength.

"Hurry!" Ronon growled as he walked towards the exit. He was sure that, even with the temporary loss of blood, it was no emergency and she would survive, but he didn't want to loose more time than necessary.

"What's with her?" He heard Lorne's voice behind him. "We can't..." He started but stopped as Ronon gave him an unmistakeable glance over his shoulder.

"Okay, okay. Let's talk about that later!" Lorne gave in and joined his side. "Man!" He hissed. "Who did this to her?" It seemed, the major did only now notice her injuries.

"A dead man!" Ronons voice wasn't more than a low rumble and Lorne seemed fully aware of what he meant by that.

"Let's hurry up! Seems she needs a doc." The Major mumbled and tired his glance away from the knife in her calf.

Without another word or a look behind Ronon walked through the stargate, as quickly as possible with the weakened soldiers behind.

When it wasn't essential to watch his steps he looked at her, asking himself what she probably could have done, to deserve such treatment.

The state of her wounds told him that it had been some time, since her torture started. Some cuts were almost healed but showed a red inflamed skin, some of them were fresh and covered with a dark crust of blood. As far as he could see she had some broken ribs and sure as hell, more collared marks in every nuance, as he could count. He tensed his yaw and was glad when he attained at the gate a couple of minutes later. Just to look at her injuries made his inner animal roar with rage again.

This wasn't good. Not for him and definitely not for anyone else. He took a deep breath and managed to stay calm till the others reached his side, without noticing his inner fight. He risked to look at the unconscious woman again and asked himself the second time, why he nearly lost control only by a look at her state. After all he didn't even know who she was!

* * *

Author´s note:

since I´m no native speaker any constructive critizism concerning style/grammar etc is highly appreciated!


	2. Irregularities

CHAPTER 2: IRREGULARITIES

DISCLAIMER: look chapter one

So here the next chapter, I hope you like it.

I´m still not sure where this will go, but its fun and there are so many ideas in my head that want to be become words...

Feedback is always very welcome...

CHAPTER 2: IRREGULARITIES

"Wow, wow, wow. Calm down buddy!" Sheppard only curtly missed Ronon's blow. He took a step back and Ronon let out a deep growl while he twirled one of his banthos stick dangerously in the air.

"Don't make me hurt you!" Sheppard tried with his best wry smile, but he wasn't in the mood for this. He wanted a fight. A good and hard one so he would be too tired afterwards to think about anything else than his aching muscles. After returning from Nagaria he had rushed immediately to the infirmary and had refused to leave until the doctor had seen to strangers wounds. Beckett had assured him that he would do his best, but needed the assistance of his team, which wasn't any use as long as they were scared to the bone by a terrifying enraged Satedaen warrior. Convinced that she was in the best care possible he had left for the gym.

Some marines, from his self –defensive class, had been practising hand to hand combat and were eager for a chance to get an extra lesson.

Four against one. He didn't mind the terms and had blocked each of their attacks effortlessly; after all they were no match for his skills, earned during his years as a runner and back when he had been a soldier in the military on Sateda. An hour later all of his opponents had been lying on the floor totally exhausted and beat up. None of them in the state or mood to dare another round of sparring with him.

Another wave of frustration and anger had hit him and he had started to perform fighting trajectory he had learned during his specialist training. They were complex and demanded a lot of concentration. The continuous repetition of the patterns had somehow managed to release at least some of the fury which still burned inside him.

The time John came in, to ask what had happened, he was almost back to normal. Reporting the mission had raised his anger again and Sheppard, who knew him well enough, had seen the deadly glance in his eyes. So the Colonel did him a favour and asked him for a sparring round. But instead of calming down, every blow seemed to help unleashing the inner animal he locked up so canny.

_Two broken ribs. One partially fractured. _

His muscles repeated the battle patterns, delivering blow after blow- hard and fast , forcing Sheppard to step back.

_A dislocated shoulder. Five dislocated fingers. _

He fended John's blows, dodging his attacks with graceful easiness. Taking advantage of a weakness in Sheppard's defence, he landed a direct hit, hard enough to convince the Colonel that this wasn't supposed to be a child's game.

_A fissured spleen. _

Both of them managed to either parry or dodge the other's attack during the five next rounds.

_Several deep infected cuts on her lower backside, judging by form and severity obviously whiplash injuries. _

A powerful blow forced Sheppard on his knees- it was only thanks to his own well trained battle reflexes, that Ronon was able to avoid knocking the Colonel out with the banthos stick in his left hand. In that moment he realized, it was time to enchain his inner animal and force it back into its mental cage.

_Countless deep cuts, marks and burns. _

"Hey big guy, are you okay?" Sheppard asked with a frown, when he realised that his sparring partner would leave it by that.

"Yeah!" He mumbled putting his sticks down.

"It's because of this woman, isn't it? The one you saved on this planet." He hesitated and grated his neck, apparently not sure how to handle him. "She will be okay!" Sheppard assured finally, studying Ronon's expression.

Ronon wasn't sure about his last statement. He had no doubts that the Doc would keep his promise and she would be better soon. Physical.

Despite his inner turmoil he nodded in response; he knew that his friend only wanted to make him feel better.

Sheppard cleared his throat and sheepishly ran his hand through his hair.

"So, she was chained up...and it seems that she has been tortured, right?"

Ronon inhaled deeply but didn't bother to answer his question. It had been a rhetoric one, anyway.

"There has to be a reason for their actions."

He nodded but didn't know the answer. Maybe the other team did, but they had been sent to the infirmary and Mission report was first scheduled in two hours. He had never been the type to just sit around and do nothing, but it seemed that he had no choice in this matter.

"Where are you going?" He heard Sheppard's alarmed voice behind him. His sticks hid to the ground with a low thud and as he let go of them and reached for the door.

"Shower!" Ronon managed to say in a low rumble.

* * *

_Water. Everywhere she looked, she was completely surrounded by it. An ocean of deep blue water. She twirled around and tried her best to get her bearing. She wasn't able to spot a coastline at the horizon. No islands, no cliffs, no goddamned nothing. Only water. Water, endless water, as far as she could see._

_How did she get here? Where was _here_ exactly? She didn't have the slightest clue and already the choking feeling of panic started to rise within her. It was hard, but somehow she managed to control her breath and her fear. Fear would consume time and precious energy – she couldn't afford to waste any of them. Lifting her head up she scanned the sky for the sun to ascertain the time. It had to be around late afternoon if she wasn't completely mistaken. _

_Right. Left. Forward. Backward. Whatever. Finally she took the right side. She had always been a good swimmer since early childhood and so the first miles were not a hard task at all. But after some time...she didn't know how much later, she felt a light throbbing pain built up, which continuously weakened her. Again, she scanned her surroundings, but there was no change to the first time. An endless blue surface, stretching from one horizon to the other. _

_Again fear was knocking against her chest and she swallowed hard to ignore it. _

_Swim! She had to swim. _

_Breath! Swim! Breath! Swim! _

_With this mantra she forced herself to take another mile. Maybe two. She paused weak and exhausted. She gritted her teeth but no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts were driving her mad. _

_Oh god, what could she do? _

_The exact moment the question popped into her mind, she suddenly felt something on her leg. A light touch, which turned into an iron like grip, before she was able to do anything. _

_She struggled and kicked, but instead of loosen the grip she was dragged to the ground. A frightened scream escaped her throat while her hands clapped hectically in the air and onto the water. The next moment she was pulled under the surface and nearly swallowed water before the rest of her rational thought reminded her the fact, that she wasn't a fish. And as long she didn't grow any gills out of nowhere, it wouldn't be a good idea to inhale H2O instead of good old oxygen. _

_So she kept her mouth shot and struggled with her fear while that something dragged her deeper and deeper with every second. She spun her head around and the view of that something made her heart tighten. _

_Oh no, no, no! __That couldn't be! And than she realized it wasn't only one Thing that tried to kill her. There were other, not yet close at her side, but it wouldn't take too long till they caught hold of her. _

_She struggled even harder than before but without success. The light faded away and it seemed suddenly as far away as the air. The surface shrank further away with every moment, while she was being dragged down and her lungs screamed with protest for oxygen._

_In that moment her dear old friend Mr. Furious awoke. She ought to have a little talk with him later, concerning his lack of good timing! But for now everything that mattered was that he was with her and gave her the strength she needed. _

_With one last powerful kick, she got herself free and used all her remaining energy to resurface. _

_Air! She needed air! She broke through the water like an arrow, gasping for air, ready to do whatever was necessary to survive._

* * *

Ronon had showered and changed into a new set of clothes, a comfortable shirt and leather pants, but there was still time left till the debriefing. So he decided to pay a short visit to the infirmary. He wasn't far from the entrance, when he heard a loud clank coming from within, which was followed by agitated voices and screams. Without further thinking he pulled out his gun and flounced into the room.

It took him a second to sum up the situation. The woman was no longer unconscious. She stood beside the bed, ripping the tubes out of her veins whilst looking frantically around the room. She was shaking, her eyes wide with panic and she seemed to have difficulties with standing upright. After all he knew, it was a wonder that she managed to stand.

It was only now, that he saw the motionless form of the nurse, lying on the floor beside her, and Carson Beckett's calm voice reached his ear.

"Everything's okay, love. Nobody will harm you. You are safe!"

Her head spun around, she fixed the doc with stormy eyes and for a moment it seemed as if his voice calmed her down, like it did to most people. In that moment one of the injured marines, who had his left arm in a loop, sensed his golden opportunity and tried to overbear her. Big mistake!

That all happened in a fraction of seconds till he entered the room.

"No!" Ronon yelled and rushed up to the end of the room, but it was too late. Her head snapped back, her long brown hair whirling around like living snakes and the next moment the marine hit the floor with a loud bang.

"Please, love, calm down! Everything will be okay." Beckett tried again. His careful approach was in vain. Every further attempt to soothe her was drowned instantly by her screams and the loud burst of medical equipment -syringes, medicine and other things - the woman sketched down with her frantic moves in her anxiety to leave the infirmary.

She wasn't watching her way, only running and the next moment she crushed into him. A painful scream escaped her lips and she gasped for air while her hands rose up to punch him. But before her fist reached its goal he caught her smaller wrist. Her head snapped back and her large hazel eyes grew even wider as she seemed to remember seeing him before.

"You?" Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a croaky whisper. "You... you're an illusion." She mumbled weakly while her legs finally gave way.

"I'm real!" Ronon assured with a frown, catching her in time to support her weight, before she hit the floor.

"Help me, please..." She pleaded and went limp again.

He looked up and noticed that everyone was watching him with an uncertain expression, while he was standing in the middle of the infirmary, with the unconscious woman in his arms.

"What?" He snapped and suddenly everyone seemed remember that there were things to be done. Only Beckett looked at him with a gentle smile.

"Do me a favour and take her to her bed, son!" The doc pleaded, after making clear that the nurse and the marine were okay.

For second time this day Ronon lifted the stranger up and carried her to the bed.

Thirty minutes later Ronon entered the conference room. Everyone else was already there, even Sheppard and Teyla, who smiled at him in her usually amiable way, that always gave him the feeling of being welcomed. Something he had to adjust to even after being part of the Atlantis team for over a year. During his years as a runner nobody cared about him and vice versa and it still felt strange that the circumstances of his life had taken such a great turn towards the better.

"Ronon" Dr. Elizabeth Weir nodded and the rattle of her voice made fully clear that she didn't approve of his coming late. Like always.

"Fine. Fine. May we start than?" Rodney asked with his typical indignant voice. "There are more important things waiting for me!"

"Rodney!" Weir sighed, apparently not in the mood to have this usual discussion.

Ronon gave her a small nod and made himself comfortable in his common chair beside Teyla. He noticed that besides Lorne's team; only two members of the rescued team were present in the meeting room. Maybe the injuries of the others had been worse than he thought.

"Forgive me my delay!" Beckett stumbled in, only a minute later. "But I had to make sure that the former episode doesn't recur, while I'm absent." He apologized.

"Of course!" Weir agreed with a smile and waited until the doctor ha taken a seat before she faced Captain Campell, a member of the former missing team.

"Captain Campell, would you please report what happened during your mission on Nagaria?"

"It had been a standard mission. The Nagari are friendly people, exactly like Teyla described them!" The major began with a short look in Teyla's direction, and the Athosean leader nodded in response. "They were interested in establishing trade with us, just as we had hoped for. We left on friendly terms and promised to keep in touch. We were on our way back to the stargate, but before we could get there, we saw her."

"You mean the poor thing in my infirmary?" Carson asked with a frown.

"Exactly!" Campell affirmed.

Weir opened her mouth to ask something, but before she had a chance to interfere again, the major kept on talking. "She was ambushed. Three heavily armed men, the same who captured us later, attacked the woman."

"You let three guys overpower you?" Ronon asked in disbelief and didn't try to cover the contempt in his voice.

"No!" Campell shook his head. "They tried to take her down, but she was no easy victim and gave them a hard time." He let out a small laugh. "In the strict sense she totally kicked their asses!" He cleared his throat and took a quick look at Weir who didn't mind his casual remark, as far as he could tell. "She's a very good fighter, Mam, and before we got near enough to interfere, she had overwhelmed her assailants."

Ronon raised a brown but kept his mouth shot. That part was indeed interesting!

"She didn't even use her guns or her knife." The way Campell spoke of the woman, showed clearly that he was deeply impressed by her attitude.

"The same moment the gate was dialled. A dozen of men, heavily armed with guns and knifes, emerged and before we could act, they used an alien weapon. I don't know exactly what is has been; it might have been ancient technology. Something like a shock weapon." He hesitates. "They initialized the weapon and we were knocked out immediately!"

"Wait a second!" Rodney interrupted the captain with a glint of interest. "A shock weapon? What do you mean exactly?"

Campell shrugged his shoulders. "Something like a stunner, which released energy in quick waves."

"Oh, really? Could you get a little bit more specific?" Rodney snapped.

"Rodney!" Elizabeth's voice reminded him to watch his tongue

"When I regained consciousness we were on another planet. We had been moved to a place near the ruins when the woman woke up. I don't know how, but somehow she managed to break free. She killed two of them before they managed to pull her down again. They knocked her out and locked us up in the cells, where Major Lorne and his team found us. The woman was separated from the rest of us and brought to another place. First we had no idea, what was going on and we weren't sure if they were after us. Atlantis, I mean." He chocked. "They came to fetch Major Rains. I m quite sure that they questioned him and when he didn't cooperate..."

"They killed him!" Sheppard finished for him.

"Yes, Sir!" Campell nodded. "But after killing Major Rains, our captors didn't seem to have much interest in us. Some short visits now and then but nothing special. So after a while, it was clear, that it was all about the woman. She seemed to posses knowledge of some special treasure the men were after. Sometimes we heard them speak about it."

"Treasure?" Sheppard asked.

Again the Captain shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know any specific details. Only snippets of some conversations I overheard." He choked before he went on. "The woman. The first time, we heart her scream, was four or five days after we imprisoned. We heard her scream three or four times afterwards. But after all I'd seen when Ronon brought her out of the ruins..." He shook his head and faced his other team member. "I have now idea how she could bear with all that."

"She's a fighter!" Beckett interjected.

"She is definitely!" Campell agreed. His facial expression showed that he was likewise impressed and concerned.

"How is she?" Teyla asked softly and everybody faced Beckett, who let out a deep sigh before he apprised the others of her state and the little episode in the infirmary a few minutes ago.

"Sounds painful!"

"Rodney!" Sheppard and Weir hissed at the same time.

"What? I mean..." The scientist started again but kept his mouth shot after Ronon shot him a deadly look.

"Even despite her worse state she brought a marine down and nearly escaped out of the infirmary?" Lorne asked puzzled.

"If it hadn't been for Ronon she would have made it." Beckett assured.

"Seems as if Ronon does have quite an influence on this woman." Sheppard smirked and gathered a warning glance from him.

"I gave her a sedative, after this little incident. She will be asleep for a while."

"What is with Dr. Daniels?" Campell's second team member asked.

Ronon remembered the scared doctor. A linguist if he did remember correctly.

"Well!" Beckett sighed. "Physically he's all right, lad. But it seemed that the continuous darkness in the cell has left him with some...well, problems. He suffers from a severe case of anxiety state."

Campell nodded. "He's a good man, but ever since Rains died and the uncertainty of what will come and the screams of the woman..." He hesitated. "It drove him mad!"

"Understandable!" Weir assured. "He will be released from duty for now and is ordered to have some sessions with Dr. Heitmeyer." Her eyes met Campell's and than these of his partner. "And you, too!" Her voice left no doubts. It was an order and the marines complied.

"Yes, Mam!" They obeyed but the glint in their eyes showed too well, what they thought about _Mindfuck-Sessions _as Sheppard used to call them.

"So, is that all for now?" Rodney snapped impatiently but everybody ignored his remark.

"There's another serious aspect, Mam." The Captain started and the uneasy tone of his voice served to gain the attention of everyone. "I think...we think" He corrected himself. "That they were Wraith worshippers."

Ronon felt Teyla tense beside him, the same way his body responded to this suspicion.

"How do you know?" He growled.

Campell looked unsure. "The way they talked about this treasure. It has to be something powerful, but they didn't sound, as if they were locking forward to use it against the Wraith. More the other way round."

"You are clear about that?" Weir asked.

"No, actually not. We don't have any proof. Just assumptions- and the fact, that they were willing to torture that woman to get the information they needed."

"Maybe it would be best if we asked her?" Teyla proposed and got an according nod from Dr. Weir in respond.

"I agree with Teyla. Carson, when do you think she will be ready for this?"

"It's hard to say, at the moment. She went through some really terrible things. She will need some time to recover. I will let you now immediately when she can be questioned!" He promised and Dr. Weir didn't push him further.

"I'm fine with that. The meeting is closed!"

* * *

"May I join you, Ronon?" Teyla asked with a warm smile and he nodded slightly. He watched her taking a seat before he focused on his food again. Truth to be told, he wasn't really hungry, which was odd enough for him, but after the report he had to do something. Anything that kept him away from the infirmary. Away from the woman, who had this strange effect on him. With nowhere else to go he had went to catch some food..

He had to figure some things out for himself. Mostly about this overwhelming unreasonable urge to insure _her_ safety and kill everyone who tried to harm her.

That was strange and it wasn't like him.

Surely, he would do anything necessary to protect his friends. His team, which had become something like a family to him, even Rodney. But she wasn't part of it. He'd never seen her before, he was sure of that. She wasn't the type of person you could forget that easily. For more than one reason.

Damn, he didn't even know her name!

He shook his head and let out a quiet rumble of frustration.

"It isn't your fault what happened to her!" Teyla's firm voice interrupted his thoughts.

He respond to that. Didn't even bother to look up. Of course it hadn't been his fault, and Teyla knew bloody well that he wasn't blaming himself. And she didn't expect him to respond to that, it was only her careful way to start a discussion. One of the comforting ones, which he tried to avoid, if he had the chance to do so.

But this was Teyla after all, so he tried to relax and lent back.

"Will you tell me, what really happened down there?" She asked suddenly and he raised one brow in an inquiring manner.

She smiled, but he noticed the short hesitation.

"There are few people who have gone through as much as you and it's surely not the first time you to deal with...abused people. But what happened to this woman seemed to concern you deeply." She held his gaze easily and it was the first time he could remember that he wished to be able to look away. But that was nothing he could allow himself, not even with Teyla.

In the end she just gave him a slight smile and turned her attention towards her own food. She picked up a piece of bread and slowly broke off little pieces. She didn't push him and gave him enough room to feel comfortable.

He had to hide a smile and shook his head lightly. Teyla was the only person he knew who could make someone comfortable with unpleasant questions.

"Her eyes!" He told her and was amazed that talking to her was so surprisingly easy. Teyla's eyes snapped back to him but his answer didn't seem to catch her off guard her.

He cleared his throat and decided to go on. "She was chained up against the wall and the man in there tortured her with the knife, when I entered the room."

She nodded lightly, a wordless invitation to go on.

"The moment before she lost consciousness she looked at me..." He shrugged his shoulders, struggling for the right words. "Locked eyes with me. That unleashed..." He swallowed the next words quickly, as he realized what he had nearly admitted to her.

For a moment they both fell silent but the way she looked at him made clear that she understood fully well. Suddenly he felt very unsure of himself. Maybe it had been a mistake to tell her. A fault to have said it loud. Now the whole strange matter seemed to be only more...fixed.

Before he could say anything to worsen the situation he heard Sheppard's laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Rodney's voice snapped in. "I told you, she had a crush on me!" He assured the Colonel, struggling with his absolutely glutted tray.

"Oh, yes, sure!" Sheppard smirked while he stepped closer and took the seat beside Teyla, ignoring Rodney's muttering sounds.

Teyla gave Ronon a final look and turned around.

"Who are you talking about?" She asked.

Sheppard laughed again. "Rodney had the theory that one of the new female doctors only comes to his lap to spent time with him."

"That's not a theory- that's a fact." The scientist snapped back while also taking a seat.

"Which one's that?" Ronon asked, not really interested but happy to chance the subject.

"The small one with the long red hair and the many freckles. The new archaeologist." John explained.

"Well yes, nobody is perfect!" Rodney agreed in his usual arrogance. "But I think I will ask Alyssa out for dinner. Finally she gave me the hint."

Suddenly Teyla let out a small chuckle. "Are you two speaking about Dr. Biggelow?"

"You know her?" Sheppard asked and raised a brown.

"Yes, she's in my self-defence class. She is a very kind person and one of the few who really seem to enjoy the training; she even asked me for some extra lessons."

Ronon only had a vague idea of who this doctor was. The only redhead scientist he remembered, was a petite -almost fragile woman with shy eyes.

"She didn't look like she would enjoy fighting!" He threw in; as he was sure they were talking about the same person.

"No." Teyla smiled. "It surprised me too, but she's astonishing tough under the surface." The way the athosean woman spoke about the small earth doctor, let him know that she liked her very well.

"Okay, so it would be better not to bother the little doctor, right?" John asked and grinned in Rodney's direction, who ploughed his food into his mouth, as if someone might steal it.

"Very funny, Sheppard!" He grumbled full-mouthed.

"As we speak about that, why did you chuckle, when you mentioned who we were talking about?" He smirked. "Beyond the obvious reason, I mean!" Sheppard teased him.

"Oh yeah, you may laugh, Mr. Charming!" Rodney snapped in an offended tone. "Do I hear a hint of jealousy? It's not my fault, that she's got a crush on me and not on you!"

He switched a quick look with Teyla, who shook her head because of their childish behaviour.

"I'm sorry Rodney, but I think you are wrong! Whatever her intentions were to come to your lab, I'm pretty sure, it isn't because of you." She said with a regretful smile.

McKay opened his mouth, but before he could do anything, John grinned wildly at her.

"And why is it, that you know that? What did you hear?" He didn't even try to hide the nosy sound of his voice.

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked innocently.

"Oh, come on! You said that you trained her and you are pretty sure, that she isn't after Rodney!"

"Like you!" She smiled back.

"Yes, of course!" He teased. "So who is it?" He didn't let it go.

"Excuse me?" McKay snapped. "Only because I'm not Mr. Nice Guy or behave like our He-man here, it does not mean..."

"McKay!" Sheppard hissed.

"Who's He-man?" Ronon asked with a frown.

"A character from a movie!" Sheppard explained before Rodney could answer his question, which would have definitely brought him straight into hell's kitchen.

"Like this Conan guy?" He growled questioning, while he shot the scientist a warning glance. A while ago McKay had named him so often, that at last he had squeezed Sheppard to show him that movie. The next day he had had a little talk´ with Rodney. He had never used that name since that again.

"Uhm...yeah, well, not exactly." Sheppard mumbled, who tried to avoid trouble.

"Uhm. I see... I mean it's late." MacKay stuttered and fumbled with his tray. "I have to return to my lab." He shot him a nervous glance and Ronon tried his best to restrain his amusement. Apparently McKay hadn't forgotten the little talk.

"Yeah, go and bother Lorne a bit. " Sheppard smiled obviously eased to change the subject.

"Major Lorne?" He heard Teyla's puzzled voice.

"Yes, his new lab rat." John smiled brightly. "Some strange ancient stuff. And the Major has the gene naturally, so Weir ordered him to help McKay."

"That may explain it..." Teyla mumbled quietly but he had heard it and Sheppard, too. It took the Colonel a moment, but than his eyes widened in realization.

"She has a crush on Lorne?" He grinned at her wildly and nearly burst into laughter because of McKay's facial expression.

"What?" Rodney's voice was a little bit too high pitched, as always when he was stunned. "On Lorne?" He snorted the name as if it was an unbelievable thought that someone could consider the Major more attractive than him.

Everyone was looking at Teyla who had blushed a little. Obviously she was embarrassed that she had accidentally slipped the remark.

"I haven't said that. And it would be nice, if you don't let it get a rumour!" She pleaded firmly, with a voice that made fully clear what would happen otherwise.

Sheppard quickly lifted his palms in a peace keeping gesture. "Hey! You know me. I won't say anything!" The Colonel assured her with a smile, which brought him a _why-me _glance from Teyla. Ronon only shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.

McKay was muttered something strange about Lorne, while he was in the act of leaving the table.

That was the moment Carson called them.

"There you are." The doctor greeted and from the look in his eyes, Ronon was able to tell instantly that there was something seriously wrong.

"What's with her?" He heard himself ask and he felt his muscles tense against his will. The next moment he felt Teylas gentle hand on his own and he had to force himself, not to pull away from her. It wasn't her fault, that he was angry with himself, because of his strange reaction to this woman.

But Teyla knew him too well and the next second she withdraw her hand on her own.

"What's wrong, doc?" Sheppard asked with a frown.

"I've made some standard test. Among other things, some blood tests." He hesitated before he continued. "I've checked it three times, but..."

"What?" Ronon growled menacingly.

"She has the ancient gene. But I've never seen it so strong in somebody. It's a multiple stronger than in Colonel Sheppard. There are also some other irregularities...I must test this a second time, but it seemed..."

"Irregularities in what?" Rodney interrupted him, with his hands crossed impatiently in front of his chest.

"Her DNA!" Beckett informed them

* * *

Thx to my beta and source of inspiration Metelmuffin, I worship you :-)

Also thx to Winter Celchu, Penguinopus and HeavenlyKitten. Even a few nice words seemed to made it all more easy.

* * *


	3. Reaching the surface

DISCLAIMER: look chapter one

So here the next chapter, I hope you like it.

Feedback is always very welcome...

For Mr.Green Eyes

CHAPTER 3: REACHING THE SURFACE

_Her heat beat fast and loud like a drum. She was running as fast as she could, which wasn't really quick. One reason for that was the thick forest surrounding her. One with a rich and wild growth. The trees were old, big and very high. Their crowns were blooming in a deep sated green, touching each other so close that only very few rays of sunlight hit the overgrown bottom of the forest. _

_There was barely enough space to avoid the sneaky roots, which seemed to have life on their own; the tendrils wound around her feet as if attempting to make her stumble. Sometimes she couldn't react in time and she hit the ground. It was then that it seemed as if the thick plants tried to hold her down; scratching her with sharp thorns, chocking her with slim and firm nooses and burning her with acid touches. _

_She felt weak and sore but she had no choice: she had to go on. Either that or submit to her weakness and die. _

_They were chasing her. She knew that, even if she hadn't seen them yet. But sometimes the cold shudders down her spine told her that they were near. She forced herself to look forward and suppressed the urge to look over her shoulder. _

_Again she tripped, but this time she was able to avoid herself from falling. _

_Furiously she wrenched on the satin like fabric of the gown she was wearing. A fucking gown! The only time she had worn one before, was on her sister's wedding. And she had been forced to wear it. _

_She cursed till the need for air was too overwhelming._

_Why, for the Ancestors sake, was she wearing a gown? And if the simply fact wasn't enough, it was a light coloured one with huge bell-shaped sleeves and a wide swinging skirt! She hated it, from the first second she was aware of wearing it. She got stuck every few meters and the skirt made her stumble so often that she was at first really happy the thorns slashed it. She had ripped the sleeves off to cover her bare feet but it didn't take long till the bushes and other plants ripped the rest apart, tearing again into the sensitive skin of her feet. _

_A few minute later it had been reduced to a blood soaked shred which barley covered her body. So running was no longer a problem of cloth. But lucky as she was, her problems seemed to act like a hydra. _

_Kill one, keep two! Now that the gown didn't constrict her any longer, she felt her energy weaken. Her legs started to feel numb and heavy and were aching for a break. She ignored it and gritted her teeth. This was not the time for a rest. _

_Suddenly she felt a cold breath on her neck which made her tremble. She felt her guts twist but forced her body to ignore the ache and quickened her speed._

_Somehow she managed to extend the distance, but then she found the second head of the hydra. Like always, just in the right time. _

_There was a big wall in front of her. She hadn't had the time to wonder, that it didn't made any sense. All she could think of was that the massive wall cut off her escape route. Her mind was frantic but she didn't hesitate and started to climb up the overgrown wall. A muffled grown escaped her throat as she realized that the tendrils, covering the wall, had thorns. Very long and sharp thorns, which stung into her flesh and plugged out with an almost satisfactory smack. The pain was terrible and she couldn't avoid the gasps of pain. She choked most of her screams and moved on. Ignoring the pain, she climbed higher and higher, trying to escape from the frightening beings behind her. The creatures. _

_She couldn't feel it at the moment, but she knew it was still there. Coming after her. They all were after her and if they would catch her..._

_No! No! __No! Not now. First act, then think! Later would be enough time to worry about everything. If there was a later. If not, there was no use to worry about it any longer. _

_Her hands were slick from all the blood just like her feet and it was getting harder to hold her grip; she felt a light dizziness rising in her head. Maybe from the loss of blood, maybe because of the weakness or the height. It didn't matter. She had to go on. _

_There!! She could see the top of the wall. Her heart leaped with hope and she used all her remaining strength to reach her goal. _

_The nearer she got the sharper and longer the thorns seemed to become. Her whole body was scratched, covered with dried and fresh blood and the pain forced her to moan all the while. But then...with one last, slid grip she finally reached the top and that gave her enough energy to lift her body up over the edge. _

_For a short, breathless moment she remained statue still. Closing her eyes and let her heartbeat slow down, but she knew too well the danger was still there. The knowledge forced her to open her eyes again. She turned her head to take a glimpse on the other side of the wall. The moment she realized what it was her heart twitched so hard, that she winced harshly. In shock she lost her balance and fell down. _

_A frightened shriek escaped her throat as she fell down into the water. The same ocean she had almost died in. It was then again, that her inner fury reached the surface. Mr. Furious was accompanying her in all his glory. _

_She had escaped this fucking forest in a damn fucking gown and climbed up this shit of a wall for what? Falling back to were it all had started? _

_NO! She screamed in pure rage, a second before she hit the surface._

* * *

"No!" Her eyes snapped open the same moment as her armed hand flew up to kill if necessary. Well, it should have been this way. Like always, but her arm remained where it was beside her body and she couldn't feel her shiv in her hand. She couldn't move! Without a second thought she began to tremble. Her eyes moved over the room hectically and breath quickened as she realized that everything was fuzzy.

Where was she? What...oh no...Pervert, she remembered. He had brought her to another place where he wouldn't be interrupted.

Her effort to get rid of the chains, which covered her upper body as well as her wrists, grew instantly.

"She's awake, doctor!" she heard a gentle female voice.

_Doctor? _Her head snapped around, trying to get a picture of a room and detect any possible danger. But blinking stars and dancing shadows, was all that got through the cloud of dizziness and aching pain in her head. All the while she did her best to get free, but failed. The panic in her was rising, as she remembered the last time she had awoken chained up.

The rational part of her mind assured her that she could try as long and hard as she wanted but it wouldn't have any effect. But the other part, the one which had saved her life for more than one time refused to lean back and watch what would come.

She had no idea where she was and how dangerous this place could be.

"Everything's okay, love! You're save here. Nobody will harm you!" A vague familiar voice with a heavy accent filled the air. It was a comforting voice which seemed to lull her instantly. She remembered this voice and the effect it had had on her the last time. And what happened afterwards. And like a déja vu she felt the grip of firm hands on her shoulder trying to press her down back into the softness of the mattress.

"No! No!" She yelled till her rough throat was burning like fire.

_Lull her. Weaken her. Hurt her. _

_NO!_

She struggled even harder.

"No, don't touch her." She heard the comforting voice again, and the next second the clutching hands were gone. "I promise you, I will not harm you, dear!" The soothing voice told her.

"Take these off!" She chocked. Her dry throat nearly made it impossible her to speak. She wrenched at the chains as good as she could, to make clear what she was talking about.

"We will love, once you have clamed down."

"Off!" She demanded. "Take them off!" Her mind couldn't think of something else. Her body reared against the straps. Her breath increased and the dizziness was fading away.

"Please calm down. You will hurt yourself, dear!" She heard his voice again, full of concern. She also felt his presence next to her. He must be standing beside her but her mind was fixed on the straps. Her fear quickly turned in fury and it was getting harder to concentrate on something else.

"Unfix her!" A deep, furious and strangely familiar voice broke through her rage. Her head snapped around, almost painfully and for a moment she forgot how to move.

But she wasn't the only one, she registered. Her view wasn't as clear as she would have preferred it, but clear enough to notice that everyone was starring at the man in front of her.

"Ronon..." The gentle voice started but was interrupted.

"Unfix her, now!" The tall man growled and she could almost smell the slight exhalation of fear around her.

She heard a quiet sigh beside her. "I will untie you, love, but I must touch you to do so. Please, don't be afraid, okay?"

This time she turned her head. The dark haired man beside her was wearing a white lab coat and looked at her with gentle blue eyes. The expression on his face was full of concern and matched his voice. Nothing in this man showed danger. Only concern and the honest wish to help.

Her eyes flicked back to the tall man, who had walked to her other side. It worried her that she hadn't noticed him move, but she wasn't afraid of him. He was the one, who had stopped Pervert and she remembered the rage in his eyes. She wasn't sure why, but for some odd reason she trusted him.

He gave her a small nod and she felt her body relax in response, before she turned her gaze back to the other man and nodded in agreement.

A minute later she was free, rubbing her aching wrists and starring at the two man, but mostly focusing on the tall one. He looked at her with an unreadable expression; arms crossed which showed her that he didn't expect some stupid reaction from her. Something like reaching for his gun and shoot her way out of here. Not that she would have succeeded. She was too slow at the moment and she was pretty sure he wouldn't hesitate to stop her.

Her eyes turned from the gun to his eyes and the glance within them let her know, that he knew exactly what she was thinking of. But instead of stiffening and shooting her a warning glance, she could see a slight smirk forming on his lips. He seemed to be amused by her stubborn behaviour, but didn't say anything. This only stirred anger in her. She hated, when someone caught her unaware and read her thoughts so easily. It didn't happen often though, only when she was really pissed. Than she couldn't avoid her eyes to reflect her emotions like an open book, but over the years she had learned to keep her emotions and thoughts private. But her guts told her that this man was a much better observer and saw more than the most.

Fine. Whatever. She could live with that.

"Here!" Suddenly a thin female voice caught her attention and her body tensed. The woman, dressed in clean white clothes, only smiled at her warmly and handed her a jar of water. "Certainly you are very thirsty."

Again she felt the wish to ask the man first, if she could trust her, but instantly fought this stupid urge. Since when did she need permission?

With a small nod she took the jar, eyeing the woman mindfully, but she only smiled warmly at her and moved away, after the man with the blue eyes thanked her.

She didn't want to drink it. Maybe it was drugged but the need for water was stronger than her fear and she swallowed hard, angry with her self for this weakness.

"It's okay. It's only water." The tall man told her in a low rumble and her eyes snapped back to his side.

Since when was she an open book to read? Her anger must be obvious because she could see another small grin on his face.

Annoyed she gripped the jar tighter and took a small gulp. Her dry throat was more than pleased and she couldn't avoid an eased sign.

"Where am I?" Her voice sounded huskily and uncommon deep.

"You're in the infirmary. In Atlantis." The man with the gentle voice told her and she nearly spit out her water.

"Atlantis?" She chocked and could feel her heartbeat rising high. "The city of the ancestors? This Atlantis?"

"Yes!" The man nodded and she looked at him with widened eyes. That couldn't be true. She was still sleeping, maybe hallucinating to protect her mind from the torture. She couldn't really have achieved her goal, could she? At least this would be a good start to fulfil her promise.

No! No, no, no! One step at a time. First...

"I know you have gone through a lot of terrible things." The concern in his eyes seemed to grow and he let out a low sign. "I'm...I mean, my name is Dr. Beckett and this" He pointed at the man with the dreadlocks "Is Ronon Dex. Do you remember what happened to you?"

She looked at him but kept her mouth shut. Apparently her silence urged him to go on. "After Ronon found you, he and the rest of the team brought you here. That was two weeks ago." He hesitated as she winced, but as she kept silent, he went on. "You were in a very bad condition and even though we fixed most of your wounds, it will take time till you regain your full strength." All the time he looked so worried that she started to feel uncomfortable. She wasn't used to so much sympathy. At least nobody had shown so much compassion for her in a very long time.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

He smiled at her. "No need for it." It seemed that he had some questions himself but kept silent, apparently not willed to force her.

She took another gulp, mostly to gain some time. What should she do? She was torn between her usual distrust in strange people and the wish to have a break. Beside the wish that he was telling the truth, of course. About Atlantis and about the fact that they wouldn't harm her. The doctor didn't look like a threat and although Ronon's whole essence screamed out danger, she wasn't afraid of him. Truth to be told she hadn't felt this safe around a person in a damn long time. She wasn't sure if she liked that feeling. Unfortunately, the feeling of security had the nasty habit to lower even the thickest protective barrier.

She looked down at her body and wasn't surprised to find herself covered in many bandages, but except for the headache she felt no pain.

"What have you given me?" She stiffened with the sudden realisation that they drugged her.

"Painkillers and a sedative!" The doctor answered truthfully. "As I said, you had numerous injuries which doubtless were very painful."

"Pain can be handled!" She hissed and swallowed hard. She didn't like the fact that she had no control over herself. Even she though believed him, that he did it for her own good, she wasn't happy with being knocked out. That meant that her body didn't respond in its normal way. The one she knew and that could have grave consequences. This thought was fixed deep inside her and it was hard to push it down.

"Good god, dear!" He shook his head truthfully appalled. "One patient who believes pain is an unnecessary burden which can be ignored is really enough!" She didn't miss the glance Beckett sent in Ronon's direction and the deep rumble which seemed to suffice as his answer sent chills down her spine.

"Will you tell me your name?" The doc took the first step in her direction with this question and she couldn't avoid feeling guilty. He rescued her life and she didn't even bother to introduce herself.

Part of her told her that it could be a trap but she ignored it. If they were worshippers they would already know her name and it would make no difference to tell them. And to be honest, she did believe them. At least the part that they didn't mean to harm her.

"Kaylena!" She took a deep breath and wondered again that her ribs didn't hurt, but than she remembered the painkillers and had to suppress a growl. "Kaylena Lirren!"

"Pretty name!" Beckett smiled warmly and she replied it slightly. She allowed herself to lean back against the soft pillow; the urge to close her eyes was nearly overwhelming, but she ignored it.

"What happened?" She looked at Ronon and he seemed to understand fully well, that she wanted to know what happened to Pervert.

"Shot him!" He mumbled after a quick look at the doctor. A deep wave of satisfaction rushed over her and she gave him a grateful little smile. "Hope it was painful!" She mumbled nearly voiceless, but both men had heard her very well.

"My dear!" The doctor cleared his throat apparently not thrilled about fact that Ronon killed someone or that she felt happy about it, although he knew they must be speaking about one of her jailers.

She faced him again. His concerned expression, the worried eyes and unhidden wish to help people, never mind who they are and what they have done.

Oh yes, this was a healer out –and –out. It was a long time since she had met a person like him and she couldn't help but smile.

"I don't know what I did to bring that smile on your face, love, but I'm happy to see it." Instantly her smile vanished and driving a sigh from him. He hesitated a moment but than he became serious.

"As I told you, you are on Atlantis and I'm sure you can imagine that we've some questions to ask you concerning your situation!" She stiffened automatically at his words but he raised his palms and went ahead. "For now it is enough. I will inform Dr. Weir that you are awake and she surely wants to meet you tomorrow." He smiled gently and she started to relax again. "There's no need to worry. You are safe here and all that matters for now, is that you'll get well soon, Miss Lirren."

"Kaylena!" She corrected him. Nobody called her by her last name. Especially not _Miss. _

"Fine, Kaylena then and if you like, it's Carson for you." Again she found herself smiling and she nodded firmly.

He looked at Ronon and finally at her again. "If there's something you need, let me know. Kalyena!" He twinkled and than was gone.

Now she was left alone with Ronon. He didn't say anything, but she didn't feel uncomfortable with that. Although a little chat could be nice now and then, she preferred silence if there was nothing serious to talk about.

She allowed herself to close her eyes and steady her breath. All the while he was standing beside her bed and she would bet he was watching her.

He indeed was strange somehow.

_Oh yeah Kaylena, you are one to say that!_

She hadn't heard him speak more than five sentences, but he never let his eyes of her and she had the strange feeling that he tried to fathom something. His face and his body language didn't reveal anything but his eyes told here that he was unsure about her.

"What do you want to know?" She asked without opening her eyes. She reckoned that he would ask her what she was talking about, but she had underestimated him. That made her smile inwardly.

"Were they worshippers?"

Okay, she had expected something else. Slowly she opened her eyes again and looked at him, wondering why he had asked that.

"Yes!" She answered truthfully.

"The Wraith were after you?" His next question was more what she had expected and she nodded again.

"Kind of!" She mumbled vaguely.

"Why?" Goal. That was exactly what she waited for. She locked eyes with him and he held her gaze easily.

"I've got something, they are after!" The moment she realized what she had said she winced. Why did she do that? She could have told him, she had no idea or coined a harmless story but she had told him the truth. Okay, it was nothing serious only a simply fact he reckoned for himself but anyway, that was not her usual behaviour. Running around and tell everyone what they wanted to know. She gritted her teeth angrily and looked at him again, but instead of digging deeper he only nodded. There was a certain glint in his eyes, she had seen before and she realized that he hadn't asked what he really wanted to know. He still looked as if he struggled to fathom something. Something that had to do with her.

She raised a brown and he mirrored but kept his mouth shot. She forced the urge to roll her eyes and decided to chance the subject.

"The day I was captured, there were other men..." She started. "They were from here, right? They were the reason you came there." He nodded. "Are they okay?"

He cleared his throat and instantly she knew they were not. "How many?"

"One dead. One didn't bear it well."

"You are telling me!" She mumbled quietly and wheezed.

"I mean his mind."

"Oh!" She swallowed and asked herself what they had done to this man. "I remember four men, what's with the other two?"

"They are okay!" He assured her.

"I´m sorry!" She whispered.

"Sorry, for what?" He asked with a deep frown.

"If it wasn't for me, they never would have been captured."

"Don't be ridiculous!" He growled and she was surprised by his forcefully voice.

"I'm not!" She snapped, instantly raising her defensive walls. Who the hell was he to call her ridiculous? But she forced herself to keep her temper.

"It's a fact that it's getting very dangerous to be at my side." She explained to him in an unexpected calm voice.

Again he nodded and she had the strange feeling, that he understood what she was talking about. For a moment both remained silent and in the end he was the one who broke the silence.

"You should sleep, now!" And with that he turned around, ready to leave the infirmary.

"Ronon?" She called him before he reached the door. He stopped and turned his head. Not enough to look at her but enough to let her know that he was listening.

"Thank you!"

Then he was gone.

* * *

Once he was out of the infirmary he took a deep breath and fought the urge to close his eyes. There were already enough people who eyed him with a nosy expression. At least when they thought he wasn't looking. He didn't give a damn about rumours but he didn't like people observing him. And it seemed that they were doing it a lot since he had brought her here. He let out a deep growl automatically and ignored the wincing man, who was passing him. He needed to clear his thoughts. Not for the first time these days- and that was something he didn't like much.

Where did all these strange thoughts come from? Why couldn't it be like always.

_Wraith. Fight. Kill. Survive. Rest. Eat. _

To tell the truth, it had been a long time since his life had been this simplified. Normally he wouldn't complain about this .Since he had come to Atlantis many things had changed. He was still fighting and killing Wraith, but it was his own choice now, he wasn't any longer forced to do it. He wasn't on the run any more. He was free, but even with the comfort of having a home, friends and the vague idea of feeling safety he preferred to keep things simple. Life was hard enough, without making things complicated. But this woman made it hard to draw the line. And the worst of all was he didn't have a clue why. It wasn't that he harboured any feelings for her; even Sheppard kept teasing him now and then that he had. He ignored him, because he knew it wouldn't make a difference to deny it.

Truth to be told he wasn't sure what he was feeling. Not exactly. It was some strange kind of connection he couldn't really fathom. No matter how hard he tried. But it was there and he had the funny expression that she felt similar and like him couldn't grasp the reason.

She had relaxed instantly the moment she saw him and he was pretty sure it wasn't because of his angry voice.

He had avoided the infirmary since she woke up and smashed the marines down. Her sight seemed to unbalance him in a strange way and he didn't want to loose his temper. But the knowledge of her lying in the infirmary, only a few metres away form him, had been gnawing on him all the time. It had made him angry, but the longer he stayed away the stronger the urge became.

He couldn't forget her eyes. Something in them made his guts twist. For more than one reason. There was a hounded gaze in them but also fire and fury. He had no doubt that she could handle herself in a fight just as Captain Campell had told them. She wasn't someone who could be defeated. He smirked.

The day he had brought her here, she overwhelmed the marine in seconds and at that time she had been in very bad condition. He was sure it wouldn't be funny to meet her fist once she was healthy again.

And today she had acted like a fury to get rid of the straps. And the sight of it had driven him mad. How could they chain her? He had told them about the state in which he had found her and despite that knowledge they chained her up. His hands had clenched so hard it almost hurt and he wasn't able to avoid the rage from his voice.

Instantly he felt guilty for avoiding her. If he had been there he would have been able to take care of those straps earlier.

But the sight of her relaxing simply due to his presence and the glint of trust in the glance she had sent him dispelled the anger.

He didn't miss the look she led on his gun and everything else, she might use as a weapon and suddenly he felt amused instead of angry. Even more since she had obviously sensed it and wasn't quiet happy about it. The fury in her eyes seemed to flash for a second and he did have a hard time to suppress his chuckle, even more as she shot him a deadly glance after he told her that the water wasn't drugged.

She didn't have been happy about the painkillers and he could comprehend her attitude. Especially the thought behind it.

Damn it! She was too much like him. The way she was acting was so familiar that he wasn't sure how he should handle that. How he should handle her.

Kaylena.

Now it seemed even harder to get her out of his head.

Strange! Strange! Strange!

But at least it seemed as if he wasn't the only one who had a hard time. Maybe he should say an easy time, because that was more like the problem. Everything felt easy around her. There were no signs that she was afraid of him or felt uncomfortable with his silence. She apparently felt easy about it and she hadn't had any trouble to read him, even if she didn't say anything. This was something he was completely unused too.

She wasn't hard to read for him either, but he was pretty sure most people would have their troubles with it. She had allowed her guards to fall down a little in front of him and he couldn't imagine that this was a usual habit of hers.

And it had seemed that she had felt rather uncomfortable with this.

He shook his head and tried to focus on some other aspects.

Worshippers.

She had admitted that they were after her and that she was in possession of something they were after. What could that be? He hadn't asked further. Dr. Weir would do that for sure. He wasn't quiet sure if she would tell her but he had the feeling it was something important.

Why would so many worshippers try to capture one woman if it wasn't for a good reason? Maybe some secret weapon or maybe the wraith wanted her as a runner.

He could feel a deep frown building on his forehead but relaxing soon after. No, there must be another reason. And he had the impression that it was more the worshippers than the wraith who were after her.

"Ronon!" A familiar voice called him. He looked up and found Captain Campell standing in front of him. Suddenly he noticed that he was still in front of the infirmary.

His fist clenched and he silently cursed that woman who induced such a mess in his head.

"What are you doing here, Captain? Accident?" He asked, trying to concentrate on other things than what washed over his mind the last minutes.

For a second he had the impression the Captain was embarrassed about his question but then he shrugged his shoulders.

"No! I wanted to look after the woman. How is she today?" The dark haired man asked.

He raised a brow and looked over the man in front of him. Campell was taller than most of the marines but had the same figure and short cut hair. He had been on missions with him once or twice and knew he was professional and reliable. But just as Sheppard he was more easy going than most of the marines.

"She's awake!" He informed him and wondered, if he had been visiting her every day. He felt the urge to hit himself but burked it.

"Really?" The glad expression in his blue eyes wasn't really hard to spot and he remembered the way he had spoken about Kaylena on the report.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Is it safe enough to say hello, or will she be all fury again? I've seen Franks." The Captain grinned. "She broke his nose and dislocated his shoulder as she threw him down! Don't feel the need to end up like this."

"He shouldn't have tried to catch her!" Ronon rumbled.

"No!" Campell agreed. "But who would have expected her to possess such strength and reflexes in her state? Next time he will remember that."

He nodded.

"What's her name?" Campell suddenly asked and he felt the strange feeling rising again.

"Kaylena!" He answered and something in his voice seemed to make the Captain uneasy. His smile was more factitious than real and he cleared his throat nervously.

"Well, I'm only on the jump to say hello. My break is nearly over so I've got to hurry!" The Captain let him know. "So long!" He nodded a last time and was gone.

Ronon took a deep breath and went on. He really needed a sparring round. Perhaps Teyla would be in the mood for it.

He hoped so, because his inner animal was trying its best to escape its cage and he didn't want it to reach the surface.

TBC

* * *

A/N: Well, this chapter is a little more...slow going, I think. Maybe thats stupid...but a dialog between Ronon and Kaylena is really a hard thing and it took its time.

Hope you like it nevertheless.

Next chapter is already ready, but my beta (whorship...no push..g) isn´t ready with it jet. So I´m working on Chap. 5 and promise that the next chapters have a little more ..uhm action.

Thank for the reviews

HeavenlyKitten: Sounds like you like the Major...He will be one of the maincharakters later one...maybe you like to hear that...

* * *


	4. Sparring with Victoria's secret

DISCLAIMER: look chapter one

So here the next chapter, I hope you like it.

Feedback is always very welcome...

CHAPTER FOUR: SPARRING WITH VICTORIA´S SECRET

_5 weeks later: _

"Here try these on, Kaylena!" Teyla smiled warmly, while she reached for some of the clothes on her bed. The design was gold –brown and had a close resemblance to Teyla's sparring outfit, the only difference being instead of a skirt the short leather top was combined with soft flexible pants.

"Okay!" Kaylena agreed and dropped the dress, which she had tried on before to the ground. She had liked its fabric and colour much but she was a good deal taller than Teyla and the dress had been too short for her.

"Manila, one of my people gave it to me. She hopes it will fit." Teyla explained. "Like you, she is very tall."

Kaylena took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment. "Please, thank her in my place. I really do appreciate her kindness."

Despite her having formed a kind of friendly bond with Teyla during the past month; it was still alien to her that someone showed such an honest interest in her well-being. And even more, there were some more people beside Teyla who seemed to care, like Carson and Captain Campell. Or Ronon, although she had the feeling that he had avoided her at times due to unknown reasons.

"You're welcome!" Teyla smiled and to her surprise she felt herself mirror the expression slightly.

The Athosean woman had joined Dr. Weir the morning after Kaylena woke up. At first Kaylena had been more than a little askance because of her warm smile and her welcoming manners, but after some time she had accepted, that it was simply in Teyla's nature. She wondered if there could be someone who disliked this woman. She was too kind, too beautiful, too everything for anyone to dislike her.

Teyla was a born leader and since the first moment she had seen her, Kaylena was sure that she was as good a warrior as she was with words.

She liked the Athosean, although she had tried her best to not become involve with any of the people on Atlantis. She wasn't sure how long she would be allowed to stay there, no matter what Dr. Weir had said. It was never a good idea to trust somebody too much and allow oneself to feel safe and comfortable. This only served to make the hurt worse the moment she had to continue her travels. When they would finally decide that she couldn't be trusted; that she was too great a risk for this city, because of the bounty on her head.

Ronon had told her about the bounty two weeks ago and she had felt her guts twist in a really painful way; it was a sheer mystery that she somehow had manage to maintain her calm. Despite being pretty sure that Ronon could read her anyway, she wasn't up to lower her barrier and display her emotions openly. That would be too risky; it was safer to depend on her own.

But she couldn't blame Dr. Weir. As far as she sensed it, Atlantis had more than enough own problems to deal with. And after the disaster Lorne's team went through because of her, she wondered why she was even allowed to stay at all.

_It isn't your fault, Kaylena! _She told herself but she couldn't erase the nagging feeling of guilt. Apparently there had been a survivor among her capturers. Someone had escaped and told some others what had happened.

Three weeks ago Major Lorne's team had been attacked by worshippers and he had been the only one to survive the incident. One of his fellow team members had died immediately while the doctor and the other marine had been able to make it through the gate severely injured, only to die in the infirmary a few hours later. Kaylena couldn't be sure about it and nobody told her exactly, but she guessed the worshippers had recognized Lorne and his team from the rescue mission. Maybe they had tried to catch them on purpose to learn of her whereabouts.

Now, four people were dead because of her. Four earth people and they wouldn't be the last ones if she stayed. She knew all to well, that this was inevitable.

Kaylena suppressed a deep sigh. Truth to be told she didn't have the wish to leave. This city in its magnificent glory was overwhelming. The old stories her father used to tell her couldn't match reality. The Ancestors had done a fine job in building this city. She loved it. The tall rooms, the balconies, the comfort and elegant design; it was simply the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

She remembered the morning she had met Dr. Weir for the first time. After being introduced Elizabeth and Teyla told her about the rescue mission and assured her again that she was safe and could stay here for the time being. Kaylena understood why the leader of Atlantis had been interested in her story. Dr. Weir asked for which reason she had been hunted and tortured by the worshippers.

It needed only look into her eyes to convince her that Dr. Weir, despite her being obviously not a warrior, wasn't less a leader. She had a strong will and quick mind and her own thoughts about the whole situation. She would have sensed it, if Kaylena lied or her answer wouldn't fit in the picture. So she had told her, what she told Ronon. That she was in possession of something important. Nothing more. This confession didn't seem to surprise Dr. Weir but in contrast to Ronon she asked for more detailed information about her secret.

Furthermore she informed Kaylena of the tests Carson had run on her blood samples. Obviously Elizabeth was irritated about the results. Kaylena had no idea what _the _gene was, or what Dr. Weir meant by telling her she had irregularities in her DNA. It was still confusing although she now had a very vague idea after Teyla explained her that her whole genetic structure had surprisingly high consonances with the ancestor DNA.

This unexpected revelation was too much for her and Kaylena had asked if she was allowed to a have a look at the city, before they went on. She wanted to convince herself that she really was in the city of the ancestors and, after exchanging a quick look with Teyla, Dr. Weir had agreed insofar Dr. Beckett gave his okay. He did, at least he allowed her to leave the infirmary for a few minutes. That was all she had asked for. She needed to make sure that they had been telling her the truth, prove to herself that it was real and not some kind of cruel dream; what she saw that day, got under her skin.

She was in Atlantis. The home of the Ancestors. To her it was the light at the end of the tunnel, a tiny spark of hope. Maybe she was finally able to fulfil her promise. But therefore she had to be sure that the people of Atlantis were trustworthy, too much depended on this decision and she couldn't risk to pass on information, which might reach the wrong person.

So she breathed in deeply, as if to encourage herself, that she did made the right decision and tried to explain her situation to Dr. Weir. She told her about the Worshipper cult who chased her, because she possessed something they desired. Some kind of weapon which could be used against the Wraith. As the current guardian of the treasure she would do anything to prevent it from coming into the wrong hands.

She was not surprised that Dr. Weir had shown much interest in this weapon, but she had pledged her to give her time to convince herself that she could trust them.

At that moment she wasn't really sure about sharing her secret, but she was willing to consider it and Dr. Weir had agreed to give her time to make up her mind.

Now, a few weeks later she knew she would tell them. But the cowardly part feared that she would be useless as soon as she revealed everything. She didn't expect Dr. Weir to send her away immediately but maybe she would explain her that her staying in Atlantis was more risky than worth.

How could a place feel like home in such a short time, that the bare thought of leaving made her sick? And how had this people managed to slip under her skin, even while she had tried her best to avoid it?

"Is everything okay?" She heard Teyla's voice and winced as she realized that her mind had been absent again.

"Thanks, I'm fine!" She mumbled and tried her best to avoid the anger she felt because of her lack of concentration.

"Kaylena, I know you carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and it isn't easy for you to trust other people. Just like Ronon you have been on your own for a very long time. But these are good people. No matter if you will share your secret or if you choose to keep it, Dr. Weir would never send you away."

"I should watch my body language when you are near." She told her grumpily and rolled her eyes which only served to make Teyla laugh. For years she had been a hard package for everyone and now she was confronted with Ronon and Teyla, who read her easily like an open book. This wasn't fair!

She recognized that she was holding the laces of her pants and bended it. She turned towards the mirror and was surprised that they fit perfectly.

At first glance the pants resembled a wide skirt but the minute she moved the impression faded. Although she preferred her leather pants and the rest of her normal clothes she liked the Athosean outfits more than the ones from earth. They were more her style. Maybe a little more revealing than she was used to, but she could live with that. At least they were comfortable and sturdy enough to endure a fight.

And that was exactly what she had planned for today: a sparring lesson with Teyla and if she got the chance, with every other person who would be willing to challenge her. She had been discharged from the infirmary two weeks ago, but the doc had forbidden her to do any kind of workout.

Today, after a final visit in the infirmary, he had given her his permission with the plea to start slow. She had smiled at him but didn't promise anything, because she knew she wouldn't be able to hold herself back once she got a good challenge.

She had missed it to much and she could feel excited prickles washing over her skin while she thought about it.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I'm looking for a good fight!" Her smile grew even wilder.

"You and Ronon are so much alike!" She heard Teyla chuckle and she could feel her brown raising high as she turned to look at her.

"Why is everyone saying that?" She rolled her eyes and started to twitch at her hair. One part was tied back, others carefully braided while the rest fell free over the length of her back. Her hair was very long and thick and although she knew this could be disadvantageous she didn't want to cut it.

"Cause it is true!" The Athosean laughed warmly while she followed her moves.

"You know, I like my hair. It's just like my mother's and even though I know it could be a handicap in combat I could never bring myself to cut it. "

"Why should you do that? As far as I know it wasn't due to your hair that you were brought down."

She chuckled amused. "No, apparently not."

"May I ask you..." Teyla started and pointed at the tattoo which coiled up her belly. It was a fine line of floral tendrils, which started on her right side under her breast and disappeared under her waistband. "If this has any...meaning?"

Again she laughed but shook her head. "No. My only intention was to annoy my parents and I can assure you I was very successful."

It had never been the easy way in her life, even if she wished she could turn the wheel of time and repeat, what once seemed to be an odd life. It may have been odd but at least she had been with her family. Now everything she got was the vague hope she would be allowed to stay in Atlantis.

But then she smiled. A vague hope was more than she had in a damn long time.

* * *

It was on of Colonel Sheppard's and Major Lorne's game days. It was supposed to keep up the moral, as Sheppard used to say.

They were in the sparring room with a couple of marines. More than usual, Ronon noticed and he was pretty sure that had something to do with the _prize._

Beside the money, everyone had put in a bowl to take part in this little match; Sheppard had collected some other stuff. Earth stuff: sweets, some horror movies and a catalogue of _Victoria's Secret. _Whatever that was! To him it seemed this one was the incentive for most of the marines. He should ask Sheppard later about it.

"We need another team-mate. " Lorne explained scanning the room for someone he might had missed. But there was nobody left. There were sixteen men on Sheppard's side, but only fifteen on Lorne's. Ronon was the only one in the room who wasn't in any team yet.

He raised an eyebrow, but Sheppard shook his head instantly.

"Oh no, buddy. It's no fun, if everybody knows exactly who will win, hu?" With that Sheppard crossed his arms in front of his chest and Ronon had the impression some of the marines breathed out with relief. He let out a deep rumble of disappointment.

John quickly raised his palms up. "I know. I know! Take it as a compliment."

Instead of an answer he shot him a deadly glance. He hated these game days. Beside Teyla and Sheppard no one seemed to be thrilled to mess with him, if it wasn't a training lesson. And he preferred fighting by himself instead of watching others.

"So who can we ask?" Apparently, Lorne was not happy with the situation either. Sheppard had an equal worried expression on his face.

At times like these earth customs seemed so strange to him, he could only shake his head. At least it was only a game, but the two acted at if it was a catastrophe.

Juts in that moment the door slipped open. Teyla and Kaylena, both in similar sparring outfits, entered the room and looked rather surprised to find it crowded. Behind them two Soldiers, whose job was to watch Kaylena, followed. Despite the fact that they were female, they didn't differ from the ones that guarded him a year ago; both expressionless and the perfect mirror of the other one.

Beside some rare exceptions, most of the female soldiers reminded him of the male ones. Mostly because of the short hair, the determined glance in their eyes and the similar trained figure.

Teyla and Kaylena couldn't be more different and that wasn't only because of their long hair and feminine clothes. They were both trained as well, maybe much more than the earth female soldiers, but it was a different kind of physical strength. They seemed to be more agile, not only muscular. And while Teyla was a stature of calm and inner strength, Kaylena seemed to radiate fury and unleashed energy out of every single pore of her body.

For a second, every single man in the room stared at the two women with a curious expression on their faces. One or two looked, as if their eyes would pop out of their heads, before they finally regained control over their features.

He didn't like that attitude and the look in Kaylena's eyes told him, that she had noticed it too and wasn't thrilled about it. It was Teyla, like always, who sensed the tense atmosphere and saved the situation in a split second. She smiled warmly and looked at Sheppard.

"Colonel, I didn't know there were any training lessons at this time! I promised Kaylena to spar today."

"Oh! No this is no standard lesson!" He smirked.

The way the Athosean was raising her brow told Ronon, she had seized what was going on and wasn't taken by it. Just like him, Teyla couldn't understand the urge to fight for money. But in contrast to him, who wouldn't miss the chance for a fight, Teyla refused completely to take part in this kind of combat.

"Game day?" She asked.

"Exactly!" Sheppard smiled and suddenly a mischievous smile plastered on his face as he faced Kaylena. "You're looking for a fight?"

"John!" Teyla warned him.

"What? It's only a question! We need one more in Lorne's team to start!" Sheppard explained innocently and Ronon could see Kaylena's eyes searching for the Major. He also registered Campell's smile in her direction and the continual glances some of the men were sending in her direction. He couldn't avoid a low rumble, but was really satisfied as the few, who had heard it, winced instantly and lowered their gaze.

"I'm always looking for a fight." Kaylena smiled and he nearly chuckled because the expression on Johns face.

"Have heard that before!" His friend mumbled and looked in his direction. "So , are you in for the game?"

"What should I do?"

"Oh, the rules are easy. There are two groups- Lorne's and mine- and they compete against each other. One fighter versus one. Then the winners of each match compete against each other and so on until there's one champion."

"And why are we separated in groups, if we are fighting against our team mates in the end?" She asked and he could see Shepard and Lore exchange a quick look, both smirking.

"Let's just say that's another kind of competition, between me and the Major."

"Okay. So I'm in Lorne's group? Are you ok with this, Teyla?"

"Of course, if you wish to take part of this." Even Teyla though didn't like these games, she seemed happy that the Colonel had asked Kaylena to participate. "We always can spar another time."

Kaylena nodded and gazed at the men with a wolfish grin that kept his attention.

That could be really interesting!

Sheppard and Lorne had noticed it too and exchanged another look. This time Lorne was smiling brightly, while the Colonel seemed to regret that Kaylena wasn't in his group.

Ronon was pretty sure Sheppard would lose his competition with Lorne this time.

"Are we allowed to use weapons or is it a hand to hand combat?" Kaylena's firm voice asked the Colonel while she eyed her possible opponents again.

"Normally, hand to hand combat, but I'm sure it will be okay, if you..." John stopped in the middle of the sentence, as Kaylena's head snapped back to him and the glance in her eyes didn't leave any doubts, what she thought about the offer Shepard wanted to make.

"No, I´m fine." Her voice was still firm and steady and Sheppard seemed rather uncomfortable. This time Ronon couldn't suppress a chuckle, which brought him a deadly glance from her and some strange looks from the others, but he didn't mind.

"Something off-limits?" Kaylena asked further, all the while starring in his direction.

"Uhm, yeah, well. It would be nice if you prevented some _sensitive _parts from damage, if you know what I mean!" Sheppard was back to normal again and grinned wildly at her.

"Yeah, sure!" Kaylena nodded as she looked at him again and smiled back.

"Great! Let's start!" Sheppard rubbed his palms against each other, forcing Teyla to roll her eyes before she came over to seek Ronon's company.

"You're not fighting?" She asked.

"No!" He rumbled, but even though he would like to spar after all, he was anxious to watch Kaylena fight. He eyed her as Lorne introduced her to the others and noticed the slight sight of excitement.

"She's looking for a fight since Doctor Beckett laid her off the infirmary." Teyla whispered with amusement.

"I know!"

At first he had tried his best to avoid her, to shield himself from the strange thoughts which dwelled up every time she was near. It had turned out to be impossible. He only had to assure himself that she was okay; at least that was what he told himself. Truth to be told, he liked to be near her, even if she was able to read him a little bit too good. Not that they talked very much, but a look from her and everything was clear. He felt comfortable in her company and as far as he could tell she didn't mind. Seemed she wasn't a small talk person, either. They had spent a little more time together once she was out of the infirmary.

She loved to take a walk through Atlantis and especially had a thing for the balconies. He couldn't blame her, he liked them too. And just like him she was glad, only to sit there and watch the ocean. The few times they talked it was mostly about minor things. She didn't need to speak therewith he could understand her.

He had noticed her fear of being forced to leave Atlantis, even if she tried to hide it under a cloak of fury.

It seemed fury was her way to protect herself from being hurt, physically and mentally. That was the only reason she had managed it to survive her torture and didn't become insane.

He comprehended that well. Rage had been his source of energy to survive the Wraith. In the end, they weren't so different at all. This was what scared him most.

"Ladies first, I guess!" Sheppard smiled at Kaylena. "So, you have free choice!" He twinkled and pointed at the men on his side, who all looked hopeful in her direction.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the men. "What's with you, Colonel?" She raised a brow, which travelled even higher as Sheppard raised his palms apologetically.

"Oh, you know Lorne and I are only here to keep up the moral!" He grinned. "I'm sorry but you must choose someone else." He informed her with his best charming smile, which forced her to roll her eyes.

Apparently the _Sheppard-Charm _had no effect on her.

Again he let out a low rumble, this time of satisfaction instead of annoyance. He could feel Teyla's eyes on him, but ignored them and watched Kaylena pointing her finger towards the tallest man, who was standing in Sheppard's group.

He could hardly suppress a grin. If somebody had asked him, whom she would choose, he had picked exactly this guy. It was the one he would have chosen in her place

It was a simple rule: Put down the strongest first!

The guy smiled at her. It was mix of male satisfaction and something that showed him, he didn't expect it to be a hard challenge to bring her down.

First Ronon thought, she would be guided by her fury. But she didn't show the man, if her arrogance affected her at all and smiled slightly at him.

He noticed that she was bare feed, just as Teyla, as she walked to the mats in the middle of the room. Her hair was wild and tousled, even she though she had put a part of it back and it was a sight to behold. Her hair flowed from one side to the other, while she moved, as if it had a life of its own. The way she walked reminded him of a wild animal, ready to slay his prey.

"All right!" Sheppard clapped his hands, after the two opponents got in their basic position. "Go!"

Without hesitation the marine swung his arm and tried to punch Kaylena as hard and fast as he could, but he had underestimated her. With a graceful move, she stepped aside and gripped his wrist in the same moment. Next second she was behind him, kicking him in the hollow of his knee, while she twisted his arm around. With a painful gasp he fell onto his knees and cursed bawdy as she placed her feet between his shoulder blades, without lowering the grip on his wrist, and forced him to the ground.

"Enough!" Sheppard was the first who retrieved his voice and Kaylena dropped her feet and let go of the man's hand.

"You're okay?" She asked as he stood up, rubbing his wrist.

"Yeah! Think it's my own fault. Next time I'll know better than to underestimate you!" The marine replied easily and Ronon saw the slow smile on her lips. She said nothing but nodded.

"Seems that I'll win!" Lorne grinned mischievously in Sheppard's direction, forcing the Colonel to mutter something inaudible.

The following matches took their time, but the upshots of them, weren't very surprising for Ronon. Most of the marines were in his combat-classes and he knew the skills of each.

The next round started and again it was Kaylena's turn to choose. She had watched the other matches carefully, just like him and it was no surprise that she pointed her finger on one of the best fighters.

"Mitchell is a good one!" Sheppard mumbled in Lorne's direction and sounded very pleased.

"Let's wait and see!" Lorne retorted. In all likelihood, the Major had more confidence in Kaylena's fighting skills than in Mitchell's. And he should be right.

Although Ronon had to admit, that this one did a better job than the first, he failed. Mitchell was clever enough to leave the first move to Kaylena Unfortunately, she hit her target and the marines face told him, it was a painful experience. Mitchell hesitated, only a second but that was all she needed and a minute later, he was lying on the floor.

Ronon saw John's mouth open slowly and snapping shut, a tick later. His grin widened instantly.

„She is very good!" Teyla's calm voice reached his ear. "But it seems that she isn't very satisfied with herself!"

"She wants a fight." He told her without a second guess. "A real one!"

He didn't need to turn his head to know that Teyla was smiling widely at him.

Again it took its time till the other fights were over and it was Kaylena's time to choose. But this time, she shrugged her shoulders and looked at the three remaining men.

Lewis, O'Malley and Campell- if he did recall their names correctly.

"Who would like to compete against me?"

Lewis and O'Malley rushed forward both in the effort to be her next sparring partner. Only Campell remained where he was, which caused Kaylena to raise an eyebrow.

"What's with you, Ryan?" She asked which caused Campell to laugh and he raised his palms in front of him.

Ronon didn't miss the friendly tone in her voice or that she used his first name. And he wasn't the only one, who noticed that. Some of the marines seemed rather interested.

"Maybe you've forgotten that I have seen you fighting, but I remember fully well, what happened to the last men, who challenged you." He grinned and chuckled as the other two looked at him with a frown.

"Oh, come on! Do you really believe you've seen all her skills?" Campell shook his head and took a step backwards. "Try it. I'll not diminish my chances to get the prize, by Kaylena kicking my ass."

This time Kaylena couldn't hide a mischievous smile, before she turned towards Lewis and O'Malley.

"So?"

A second later both marines argued loudly about who was allowed to fight her.

"Hey!" Sheppard's voice drowned over the laughs that had filled the room. "Hey guys calm down. I'm sure Kaylena will fight against..." He started, but Ronon interrupted him.

"Why don't you fight against all of them?" He asked Kaylena. Next second everyone was looking at him, as if they had forgotten about his presence.

"Cause that's not fair, buddy!" Sheppard explained with a voice that sounded as if he had to hold on his patience to explain something this obvious.

"Why not?" This time Kaylena and he spoke simultaneous, which forced Teyla to chuckle and Sheppard to give another explanation.

"Why don't you allow the three of them to decide for themselves, John?" Teyla's firm, calm voice rescued the situation. Sheppard hesitated a moment but shrugged his shoulders and looked over at the three man.

"You gonna kick my butt, aren't you?" Campell laughed highly amused and didn't seem to have any problem with it. He was already walking over to the mats and was followed by the other two who looked unsure and exited at the same moment.

"Sounds like a yes to me!" Lorne grinned and obliviously didn't any doubts who would win this match. "Interested in a side bet?" The Major asked.

"What do you have in mind?" He could hear Sheppard's leery voice.

"If she wins I'll get your ration of Jelly –O...let's say for a month? If the others win, you'll get mine."

"A month?" Sheppard snapped and looked at the man beside him as if he was insane. "Oh, come on. She can't win this. Lewis is one of Ronon's best students. And both, Campell and O'Malley, are each a hard packet."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid. I try to warn you, that's all. But alright...if you want to suffer, you can have that!" He grinned and stretched out his arm for a handclap.

"So, guys...uhm...and ladies, are you ready?"

He could tell that John was nervous, even if he wasn't willing to admit it. He was nervous because he wasn't sure to win this bet. Ronon would bet that he would loose. His smile got bigger and bigger until Teyla eyed him with an amused glance in her eyes.

Kaylena gave the men a small nod and they returned it, but none of them seemed to have the will to make the first step.

Nobody, except for Kaylena. She didn't hesitate and within seconds the combat was in full swing. One he hadn't seen in a damn long time.

Ronon couldn't deny that he was really impressed. It was the first time he saw her fighting for real and it was amazing. She stood in the middle of the men and every single of her movements was quick, graceful and unexpected. It looked like she was dancing, not only fighting. Every punch, kick, rotation and flip seemed to increase her speed and the power of her strokes. He had expected her to be good, but he clearly hadn't expected this.

The men weren't bad either. He had trained them for nearly a year and they were quick learners, but it wasn't enough, even with their superior number.

"Wow, have you seen that?" John snapped, after she flipped herself backwards and kicked Lewis at the same moment.

"Seems as if I can look forward to a double Jelly-O portion." Lorne looked more than a bit satisfied and both men were to absorbed in the fight to notice Dr. Weir entering the room.

"John, what's going on here?" She demanded with a frown, while she watched Kaylena getting punched by Campell's fist. But Kaylena ignored it and the next hit got on her account.

Ronon decided that the match was much more interesting than Dr. Weirs bemused expression and turned his attention back to Kaylena, but he didn't miss the little talk.

"Only a little match, Elizabeth. Nothing to worry about!"

"Nothing to worry? She's out of the infirmary only for two weeks!" She hissed, apparently not amused about the situation.

"Then I ask myself what she could do in perfect condition!" Lorne mumbled.

In the meantime, O'Malley managed to grip Kaylena by her waist, but she used his move to bring him down. She pushed against him while she kicked her leg high in the air. With a vocal sound her bare foot hit Lewis' face. He stumbled back, just like O'Malley, who was lost his balance due to her sudden move. Kaylena enforced her effort and before Campell could help his friend, O'Malley hit the floor. She twirled out of his grip and punched him hard in his stomach.

"Ouch! I bet that hurt!" Ronon heard Sheppard's low hiss.

"John!" Dr.Weir didn't sound amused.

"Oh, come on, Elizabeth! You have to admit she's really good!"

"That's not the point!"

"Of course! Have you thought about my proposal?"

"John!"

"She would be perfect. Just watch how she's fighting. She has the gene and she seems tough enough to handle any danger."

That kept his attention and as it seemed Teyla's as well.

"You want her for a team?" Lorne asked Sheppard and for a moment, Ronon turned his eyes from the fighters in front of him.

"Yes, for yours!"

"Oh, really?" The smile on Lorne's face showed him that he could get used to this idea.

"Yes, as far as Elisabeth permits it."

The leader of Atlantis sighed deeply and looked again at Kaylena, who now was fighting the last standing man: Campell!

"Okay, I will talk to her!" Weir complied.

"Great!" John grinned and Lorne looked equally excited.

Ronon exchanged a quick glance with Teyla and returned his attention to the middle of the room, just in time to see Kaylena jumping onto Campell's back. She had pressed her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. From the expression on Campell's face, he could tell that she must have more power in her legs and arms, than he would expect. Campell did his best to loosen her grip, but she did something unexpected: she whispered something in his ear and the next moment he was laughing out loud. Then he was on his knees. Ronon had no idea how, but she must have found some sensitive spot on his neck.

She was still behind him and held her grip. Again she whispered something in his ear and he raised his palms in the air. He was still laughing and the next moment she stepped back, with an amused smile on her lips.

"That wasn't fair!" He heard Campell say with a wide smile on his lips.

"What, do you prefer me kicking your ass?" Kaylena asked and forced Campell and the others to laugh. Lewis and O'Malley walked towards her and clapped their hands on her shoulder. Although she didn't look comfy with it, she allowed them to touch her, because she realized that it was their way to show their respect.

"Seems we have a winner!" John smiled but looked rather grumpy as he looked over to Lorne, who seemed to have the best day in a long time. Then his looked shifted to Weir and he began to rub his neck with a trace of discomfort. But Weir only rolled her eyes and walked over to Teyla, to give the Colonel the space for what was, a little against the protocol.

Meanwhile Ronon joined Sheppard and looked at Kaylena. He didn't show that he was impressed or said anything, but from the glance in her eyes he could tell that she knew. She nodded mischievously and turned to Sheppard, who held a little speech about the importance of a good moral and a successful match. Afterwards he lifted up a bag which had lain behind him. He reached into it and pried out some money, a few DVDs and something that looked like a file.

"So looks like this belongs to you now." He grinned and present her the things, not without a soulful look at the file. Ronon was sure than that this was the mysterious _Victoria Secret_ whatever. What could be so awesome on a file?

Kaylena didn't look overwhelmed either.

"Pitch Black!" The Colonel held up a DVD and put it into Kaylena's hand. "Resident Evil." He handed her the next one "And Alien!"

"Is this the one with the thing McKay is afraid of? Ronon asked with new interest. "This creature, that bursts out of your chest?"

"Yes, that one!" Sheppard grinned and gripped a bundle of green dollar bills. "Here your three hundred and ten dollars and..." He made a dramatic pause. "Your _Victorias Secret _catalogue." A deep rumble of disappointment roamed through the lines of the marines. Kaylena's eyes locked with his, but Ronon could only shrug his shoulders, since he didn't know either what was so special about that item.

"Uhm, thank you, I guess." She said vaguely and looked at the things in her hands apparently unsure how to use them.

Lorne seemed to notice her problem and tried to explain.

"These are movies, from earth! Really good ones." He stopped as he realized that she didn't had the slightest idea what a movie was. "We will show you!" He assured her. "This is money. It's an earth trade currency." He explained.

"Ah, well. Is it much?" Kaylena asked looking questioningly at the Major.

"It's enough to buy one or two of these things!" Sheppard jumped in before Lorne could answer, and pointed at the file.

With a frown Kaylena looked at it and raised an eyebrow.

Until now Ronon didn't take a closer the picture on the front of it. It showed a pretty woman with long wild hair who was wearing some strange kind of ripped clothes. It was more nothing than anything, only covering the most intimate parts of her body.

He looked at Sheppard who had an impish smile on his lips.

"What is that?" Kaylena asked, as she skipped through the pages every single one commented by one of the marines and a couple of disappointed grunts every time she turned a page.

Ronon was bemused by himself. He wouldn't deny that the women were very pretty to look at but he had no idea what John meant when he said Kaylena could buy one of them. He couldn't really mean the women.

"And what could I buy with the money?" Kaylena's brown eyes fixed on Sheppard and Ronon was glad that at least he was not the only one who didn't have a clue.

"The underwear!" This time it was Campell who tried to explain.

"You call this underwear?" Kaylena looked perplexed.

"Oh yes!" Came the chorus of answers. Again she locked eyes with Ronon and again he could only shrug his shoulders.

"But it looks thin, fragile and...sheer. I can't see the benefit of it!" She was more than a little irritated and much more as some of the marines started to laugh. Ronon shot them a deadly glance and they shut up.

"Uhm...it's lingerie…well...you know...that's more for..!" Now Sheppard seemed rather wordless.

"For the men!" Dr. Weir ended the sentence, while she stepped near.

"What would a man do with this stuff?"

Again everyone started to laugh but Weir had sensed her problem and smiled warmly.

"On earth this kind of underwear is more for style than for practical use. This" she pointed at the catalogue "Is more to make your man happy, when he can see you in this!" Weir explained in her best leader voice.

"I don't have a man!" Kaylena answered and seemed to have the same problems with earth customs as Teyla and he himself from time to time. But he had to admit that he could get used to _this _special custom.

"Oh, I would offer my help with that!" He heard one of the marines whisper. His head snapped around but before he could do anything he felt Kaylena's finger on his arm. Just a light touch, but it was enough to calm the sudden rage.

He shook his head and fought the wish to close his eyes or bash his head against a wall.

"Uhm...okay!" Sheppard exclaimed unsure. "Hope you can put these things to good use!" John smiled at her before he shot Ronon a warning glance. Ronon was clear about the fact that everyone started to get uncomfortable, but he did not care.

"Kaylena?" Weirs firm voice interrupted the low rumbles and whispers. "May I have a word with you?"

"Sure!" She answered shortly and gave her a small nod.

Ronon didn't miss Teyla's slight smile, but it took him a second to notice, that Kaylena's fingers, were still on his arm. She squeezed his arm gently, before she let go of him and followed Dr. Weir out of the room.

He still could feel her touch which seemed to calm him further on.

"What's going on between you two?" Sheppard's grin was culminated with a deep frown.

Ronon looked at him, but didn't answer. If he would know the answer, he would be very happy. At least, he would be able to understand himself again.

TBC

* * *

A/N:

I know self-praise sucks, but I´m satisfied with this chapter. It was much more fun than the others...:-) so I hope you enjoy it too..


	5. Off world trip

DISCLAIMER: look chapter one

CHAPTER 5: OFF-WORLD

_One week later: _

"So?" She raised her brow while she watched Carson writing something on the file in front of him.

"You are in perfect health, lass!" The doctor smiled at her and she felt her heartbeat quicken a little, cause that meant that she was allowed to finally go off-world.

"Fine!" She nodded and tried to hide her feelings, behind her usual indifferent mask.

"I must say you heal rather quickly, love! It's strange." He had a frown on his forehead, but his smile was warm and friendly as ever. Maybe a little irritated, but she was sure it was only because he was worried, he might have overseen something.

She could feel her mouth twitching into a smile. Carson was too kind to stay emotionless. She liked the chief physician of Atlantis very well. Not only because he dealt with her injuries. He was a nice and honest person, who seemed anxious to rescue everyone and everything. She liked that. He wasn't a bit selfish and always found the right words.

"Carson!" She sighed. "It's been more than six weeks now. It was only a few broken ribs and small stuff to deal with!" She replied, knowing fully well that it was a lie. There were whip marks, deep cuts and a ruptured spleen too, not to forget her the mental health, at times even she suspected that she might develop a mental disorder- not that she dared to tell anybody! .

Kaylena hadn't told anybody, not even Carson but sometimes the memories haunted her in her sleep. Maybe Ronon assumed something; he had caught her off guard once or twice, after his incessant knocking on her door had woken her from her nightmare. Sure as hell she looked a total mess after that. Ronon was a good _reader_ and he had noticed that something wasn't right, but he never said anything. And she was glad about it. Even more that he hadn't noticed one of her other dreams; the ones in which she was haunted by _terrific beings__. _The nightmares from which she woke, because someone was screaming and it always took her a while to notice, that she had been screaming in her. Screams full of fury and rage, but she asked herself, how long it would take, till it were screams of fear and agony.

The dreams came only once in a week or so. More often than she liked, but less enough that she couldn't handle them. Less enough to push them aside.

"Very well, love but that's not what I mean. Your injuries were almost gone after two weeks and after four nothing remained than a few light scars."

Kaylena couldn't avoid herself from flinching and Carson's eyes filled with concern.

"I´m sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, its fine, doc." The scars were part of her now and she had to live with them. They weren't the first by that. And truth to be told, she had no problems living with them. She knew very well that Carson was afraid, she would be concerned about the whipping marks on her back, but she didn't mind. The one which was the sole reminder of her own weakness.

"You know, lass, from the state of your body it seems as if all your recent injuries were caused a long time ago. And by a long time ago I'm talking of years. Not weeks."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

Now it was Beckett's turn to frown. "Love, didn't you think it's strange that your injuries heal that quickly or that your scars faded in such a short time? "

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "No. That's my normal speed."

"But haven't you noticed that the others don't heal that quickly?"

Again she shook her head. Truth to be told she couldn't remember the last time she followed the healing process of anybody. Normally she didn't stay anywhere long enough to be confronted with injured people.

At first she stayed solitary for her own good, not willing to allow anybody to get near her. Not physical not emotional. Then –when she had tried to connect to civilisation again, she wasn't welcomed, maybe she had already stayed too long on her own by that point. And now...She had been on the run for some months. From everything and everywhere.

And the injured people, who passed her way, weren't much more than unfortunate souls on her way away from her death. She had learned a long time ago, not to worry about things like that. Things that ate your soul and left a hollow body behind.

"The last time I stayed long enough to watch someone heal form his injuries, it was..." She interrupted herself from saying _in another life._ "Let's just say it was a long time ago. And my father had healed much quicker than I ever have. He was stronger!" She closed her eyes, as she mentioned her father, but quickly opened them again.

"You mean your whole family heals that quickly?"

"If you ask me this way, I would say my parents healed a little bit quicker, but the others healed as quickly as me."

"Maybe that has something to do with your DNA modifications." He considered thoughtfully.

Again she smiled. The others were talking about irregularities, or abnormal DNA but Carson always used the term modification or special sequences, as if her DNA was something special- not odd and abnormal.

"Maybe!" She nodded and jumped from the table. She knew that she had to talk with Carson about her suggestion, where these modifications came from. Soon. When she was back from her first off-world trip, or better after she had brought her treasure to the city. Yes, after that she assured herself. But prior to that she would go with her team and retrieve some of her possessions from one of her stashes.

Her team! Her team she thought happily.

She had been really speechless when Dr. Weir asked her, what she thought about staying in Atlantis. Being part of a team.

_Don't get me wrong. I still have my doubts, though not about the fact that we stand on the same side, Kaylena. But I'm the leader and I cannot risk the lives of my people._

That's it! She had thought, but Dr. Weir wasn't finished at this moment.

_I don't know much about you, but it seems you have left a deep impression on some people here. Even Ronon seems to trust you and believe me that is a hard piece of work. You pledged me to give you time. Time to learn to trust us. Maybe this time, it's on us to make the first step. Sheppard asked me to put you in one of the teams. _

It took her a minute to understand, what she was asking for.

_You want me in one of your teams? _

She was confused, excited, scared and happy at the same time.

_Maybe this is the way to share trust!_

She had looked at Elizabeth and realized what a risk it must be for her to offer her something like that. It was like showing an exposed core. A very sensitive one. And the gesture didn't loose the desired effect. She had picked up her knife and from the look on Dr. Weirs face, she could read that she wasn't happy, that she had a weapon. A weapon she had no knowledge of. But she didn't say anything and watched her calmly.

Kaylena had cut one of her small braids, put the knife back and walked over to Weir. She had flinched a little as she gripped her wrist, but let her take it.

It was an old tradition from her home planet. To share trust by sharing something really personal. She owned nothing but her body –well and three DVDs, three hundred ten dollars and a Victoria Secret Catalogue –but these didn't seem right. So she only could use her hair. She had tied it around Dr. Weir's wrist like a bracelet.

_I will remember that, believe me and I will try my best not to disappoint you. _

Weir had looked rather unsure, how to handle with that, but had nodded in the end. Apparently she understood the gesture behind it.

And now, only eight days later she would go off-world with her team. A slight smile appeared on her lips. _Her _team. A team which seemed happy to have her as a member.

Major Lorne would be the leader and she could live with that. He was calm and friendly and as far as she could tell, he knew what he was doing. Not that she had ever been off-world with him, but from the few had met him, she got the impression that he was an adept soldier, more than able to handle critical situations. Ryan was the second man in the team and since their fight she knew he was a capable fighter. The only one she couldn't classify was Mad. Dr. Maddox McArthur. He was scientist. An anthropologist and also she was sure, he was an expert on his domain, she wasn't sure how he would react if it would come to a fight. This was a risk, but truth to be told, it was a risk she was willing to accept. At least he wouldn't come along with the team today, because they only planned to retrieve her things.

Maybe it was nothing special but she was happy to go off-world again, and even though she liked Atlantis she felt the push to move.

"Hey doc!" She heard a familiar voice at the door. "Is she okay, or do we have to leave her behind?" Ryan's mocking voice reached her ear.

"You better shut up, or I'll come over and help you with that!" She grinned. It was easy to feel casual around Ryan. She had never been one to crack a joke, but it felt good to forget her part now an then. And at least it was nice with him, but it never got too deep.

"And my dreams will come true!" He grinned impishly.

She rolled her eyes and zipped her jacket. She couldn't wait to get to Laijuna and get her clothes. And her weapons. This earth stuff was uncomfortable and too wide to move the way she was used to.

"Can I go?" She asked in Carson's direction.

"Sure, lass! Enjoy your time off-world!" He smiled, nodding in Ryan's direction

"Ladies first!" Campell grinned and opened the door.

"Then why are you still standing there?"

This time it was Ryan who rolled his eyes, but his smile remained where it was.

* * *

One hour later the tree of them stepped out of the gate. Laijuna hadn't changed much as far as she could tell. It was an unpopulated planet. A gigantic forest with some little streams and old decaying ruins in it.

"This way!" She led them after the wormhole had closed behind them and she had scanned the area as far as possible.

The stargate stood in a small clearance. But because of the fact that nobody was living on this planet, this area had become smaller and smaller, overgrown by weeds and other plants. She was sure in former times the gate area had been much bigger. Maybe with a straight pathway to the ruins.

"How long till we reach your stash?" Lorne wanted to know and she shrugged her shoulders, while she tried her best to look out for the marks, which she had left the first time she came here. She knew the way even without them but it was safer to leave one or two hints for herself.

"Two hours!"

"Two hours?" Campell snapped surprised. "You said something about an hour or so!"

She restrained the urge to roll her eyes and nodded instead. "Yeah, if we run!" She explained the Captain. "I thought you prefer walking but we can run if you like!" This time it was hard to fight the smile which forced itself on her lips. Ryan's face told her clear enough what he thought about running through this forest.

"No, no. Walking sounds good for me!" He assured her.

Lorne exchanged a quick look with her and she saw the small smile on his lips.

"Have you got many of these stashes?" The Major asked and she nodded. "Why?" She turned her head and raised an eye-brow without slowing down.

"You know..." Lorne started vaguely. "You act like a runner, but you have no implant to detect your movements. If I understand you correctly you run from the worshippers in the first place not from the Wraith."

"Not more than anyone else!" She assured. "But worshippers have become a real plague; an organized and dangerous cult."

"A cult?"

"They don't only worship them to save themselves from being fed on. They adore the Wraith because of their strength and their power. They want to be like them."

"They want to become a Wraith?" Ryan met her with disbelief.

"Something like that."

"How long did they hunt you?" Lorne asked her directly but somehow she kept herself from flinching.

"With force? Maybe a year!"

"And without force?" Evan inquired further.

"Four years!" She told him without any emotion in her voice.

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty-six!" Again she was calm and stoic.

"I´m sorry!"

"For what, Evan?" She asked him. "It's not your fault. Nothing from anything that had happened." There was no trace of sadness or bitterness in her voice, but she could taste them in her mouth. And the taste nearly forced her to puke.

"No, but still I'm sorry." He told her calmly. Slowly she turned her head in his direction and eyed the Major. He noticed her glance and returned it but kept his mouth shut.

"Thank you." She mumbled while she turned her head back and concentrated on her way. It was odd, that someone felt sorry, for that. She never heard somebody expressing his compassion for the things that had made her what she was. But nevertheless it made her feel a little more comfortable.

Less than two hours later they reached the point she had been searching for. Even though it was quite obvious that the ruins offered more shelter, she hadn't hidden her things there. She hadn't been willing to risk her possessions accidentally being found by someone who by coincident happened to stumble across this planet. The ruins were the only solid place on this planet and would be the first place where a traveller would seek shelter.

Kaylena had spent much time on this planet building her stash. The digging had taken its time and afterwards she had been busy with collecting stones from the ruin. She had put them in the hole to protect her stuff against the weather.

"Here!" She pointed her finger at an area in front of her.

"You're sure? Looks like everything else!"

"Yeah, that's the notion behind it!" She told Ryan while she walked over to a big, old tree. With her back to the trunk, she made six steps forward and three to the right. She marked the distance between the last two points with the tip of her boots, leaving a thin line in the soft soil. After that she took another three steps forward and drew a similar line. Having finished her work on the other side, she looked again at the two men.

"Those are the bounds." And with that she started to push the upper growth away.

"Hey, Kaylena, try these!" Lorne showed her an odd tool. He folded it apart and handed it over to her. "It's a folding spade. Really useful." He assured her and took out another one, while Campell did the same. She wanted to say, that it wasn't necessary, but a minute later she was glad that she had kept her mouth shut. The stash was deeper within the soil than she remembered.

The three of them worked together in silence and with the help of the tools, it didn't take a long time till the spades hit upon the wooden cap, which she had made to cover the hole. Together with the two soldiers she pulled it aside and a satisfied smile covered her lips as she found that everything was in a perfect state.

"Man...How did you manage all this alone?" Lorne asked her and she had to admit that she didn't have a clue.

"No, idea!" She answered truthfully, while she jumped into the hole. In the rough she had only planned a to dig a small hole but somehow it had become bigger and deeper. The cover was solid and impermeable to prevent anything- moisture or animals alike- from getting through it. Yet on the day she left the stash had been coated with a thin layer of earth and leaves.

That had been four years ago and in the meantime nature had done its best to dig it deeper. Maybe she wouldn't have been able to reach it without the tool.

At first she had wanted to go for one of her other stashes, but this one was the biggest and she needed more than only one or two new weapons. This one contained clothes, money and a lot of weapons.

Kaylena reached out for one of the wooden boxes and opened it with a slight smile.

"Great!" She mumbled and started to open the other ones to control them, but everything was in the exact state, in which she had left it behind.

"Oh crap!" Ryan shook his head in disbelief, while Evan was grinning approvingly.

"How many of those things have you got?" Lorne asked and gazed at the countless weapons, which filled most of the boxes.

"How many do you need?" She replied with a dry smile on her lips, which apparently forced the men to chuckle.

"Really I'm glad that you're with and not against us!" The Major assured her.

"I bet you are!" She mumbled with a mischievous smile and gripped one of the boxes which contained her clothes. Without a second thought she started to undress. She threw the jacket to the side and gripped the hem of her shirt but hesitated, as she registered the harsh gasps from the two men. Kaylena looked up and noticed that they had turned their backs to her.

"Is everything okay?" She asked perplex.

"Uhm...sure!" Both answered simultaneously.

"Then why are you acting so weird?" She wondered while she noticed their stiff poise and the nervous tone in their voices.

"Uhm...you undressed." Campell answered.

"Well, yes. I want to change into in my own clothes!" She agreed with a frown. "Where is the problem?" Had she done something wrong?

"Well...you know on earth people don't undress in...uhm...public." Lorne tried to explain and sounded rather uncomfortable. "Especially women and men...have separate dressing rooms."

"You're kidding me?" She shook her head in disbelief while she continued to undress.

"No. On earth nudity is an intimate thing!" Lorne's voice was firm now and she noticed that he relaxed a bit.

"Earth customs are so odd!" She couldn't avoid an amused laugh. "So you are telling me, you've never seen a naked woman?" Again they both stiffen.

"Well...uhm..." Ryan started. "Sure but in that case for a more...hmm...intimate reason, if you know what I mean."

She gripped a pair of brown leather pants and changed into them.

"So nudity is only part of relationships?" She asked curious and searched for something she could wear under the dark brown corsage. Finally she found a simple green shirt with long sleeves.

"Yes! I think you can say that."

"Okay. I will remember this, even if I can not comprehend why your people have a problem with it. But I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She tied the straps of her top and reached for her boots.

"You can turn around!" She informed her companions and didn't miss the quick glance between the two men. "I'm dressed!" She was sitting on one of the boxes and rolled her eyes while she pulled the bootleg up to her knee.

This time she heard a quiet whistle from Ryan and looked up, wondering if she had made a fault again. But he was only grinning at her and she ignored it. She put the second boot on and started to put her bracers on.

"What's with the rest of the weapons? We can't take all of them with us. There are too many." Lorne informed her and she nodded, gripping her holster and fastened it around her waist and tights before she checked her guns and put them in it.

"Can I have a look at one of these?" Lorne asked and pointed his finger at the gun. She reached for another one of the same type and handed it over.

"You can keep it –interim. Those are my last three." She explained to him and tried to hide as many knifes within her clothes, as possible. The weapons were the main reason she had come to this particular stash. "Watch it carefully!" She warned him but even her strict tone didn't banish his childish grin.

"Cool!" He grinned and checked the gun in a way that showed her, that he had experience with weapons. "Looks like the Ronon's. Only shorter and more compact."

"Yeah, they are much similar but Ronon's is much more special and inflicts more damage." She added grinning. Ronon had once allowed her to have a look at his gun. Kaylena understood why he loved his weapon but she preferred her own. And yet her favourite ones were gone. The ones she had lost to the worshippers. These guns had been a special gift from her father for her sixteenth birthday.

"This was the standard weapon in the army at my home planet!"

"You've been in the army?" Now Lorne sounded surprised.

"Yeah!" She affirmed in a quiet voice but hold his gaze easily.

"For how long?" Campell dug deeper and the funny expression in his eyes forced her to reach in one of the boxes.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Four years." She told him before she threw the weapon to him, she had reached for. "Here!" He caught effortlessly and looked at the unimposing thing in his hand.

"What's that?"

"Push the buttons but watch your hands." She told him and watched the surprised expression on his face when two long, sharp blades shot out of it, in both directions.

"Wow!" The sad glint in his eyes had turned into one of excitement.

Now that both men had their new toys, everything seemed to be okay, again. She shook her head and searched for her daggers.

"The material is more stable than it looks like." She informed Campell and remembered the one or the other situation in which it had been a very useful weapon.

"What's that?" Evan had noticed the daggers in her hand and glanced at them with interest. She looked at the sharp blades, which were stuck in a special holster, so she could wear them on the lower side of her back.

"Daggers." She grabbed one of them and presented it to him. Again he examined her weapon, but this time he didn't look this professional. So he had never fought with something like that.

She had a thing for knifes and much more for daggers. These were special ones. They were longer than normal daggers and formed in the curve of a half moon.

"I have never watched someone fighting with anything like these!" Lorne told her and Ryan agreed.

"Those are my favourite weapons and daggers are part of the fighting style I've learned." She tried to explain to them, while she searched for some sort of bag, in which she could put some other things: clothes, weapons and the money.

"You mean the one you used, when you kicked our asses in that sparring match?" Campell asked her and she nodded.

"Yes, it's called _Diriji_. That mean as much as _the dance with daggers_. "

"Yeah, that's what it looks like. Like a dance." Lorne mumbled and handed her the dagger. She gripped it and after putting it back in the holster, she attached it to her back. Last thing she took was a long, sleeveless coat made out of a light, comfortable fabric, but nevertheless warm and thick.

She looked one last time at her stuff and after neatly folding the clothes from the earth together and putting them in one of the boxes she started to seal each of them again.

At last she climbed out of the hole.

"You've got everything?" Lorne asked and she nodded only. "What's with the other stuff?"

"It will remain where it is. It's a good place for a stash and you never know when you will need some things."

"Alright, Kaylena!"

And with that the two men helped her to hide the stash again.

"We have enough time left for a short break, if you like!" Lorne informed her after a quick look at something on his wrist. "Dr. Weir gave us eight hours and we've four left."

"O´ky!" She shrugged her shoulders and scanned the area before she turned around. She didn't need a break but she felt too comfortable with her own clothes and weapons at the moment to disagree with the Major. If they wanted to take a break –fine!

They had made themselves comfortable on a fallen trunk and put out some kind of food they called energy bar. She had some for herself but she didn't feel hungry. So she eyed their surrounding while the two men enjoyed their food.

"He will kill us all..." She heard Ryan's voice behind her, some minutes later and she turned around with a questioning glance in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

Ryan seemed rather uncomfortable with her question but Lorne couldn't suppress an amused chuckle.

"What?" She didn't like it when she wasn't in the picture.

"He's talking about Ronon!" Evan explained to her and Ryan shot him an annoyed glance. Apparently he hadn't planned to tell her that.

"What is with him and why should he kill you?" She asked perplexed.

"Uhm...your clothes..." Ryan started. "You know...it isn't very fair from you, to wear these things!" For some reason, she couldn't fathom, the Captain sounded suddenly amused.

"What do you mean?" She could feel the frown on her forehead deepen as she noticed the small grin on Evans lips.

"Your clothes..." Campell started and she looked down at her form, just like the two men.

"Yes, you said that already. What's wrong with them?"

"No, nothings wrong, it's just...well let's just say you look very good in them."

She eyed Lorne suspiciously, hoping for an explanation, only to find the Major biting his bottom lip. Apparently he had a hard time not to laugh.

"Is that some of this odd earth stuff? Because I can't see what's the problem with my clothes. They are comfortable and excellent to fight in." This time she didn't try to hide the anger in her voice.

This time Evan cleared his throat. "Don't get me wrong but what Campell tried to explain to you is that there will be..." He corrected himself with a grin. "There are a lot of men back in Atlantis who...uhm...like to look at you. And with your new clothes there will be a lot more, believe me."

The expression on her face apparently told him, that she couldn't follow him.

"You are attractive and your clothes are...well very tight!" He tried again and looked a little bit uncomfortable with the subject.

"Attractive?" She hissed angrily and she could see them both flinching. Did they try to make fun of her? "I'm a warrior woman and a haunted one! How could I be attractive to any man? I've got nothing what I could offer a man. I know that, but you haven't got the right to make fun of it!" She was pissed.

It had never been a problem for her that she would never have a family. She was a warrior- not a mother and wife, but the day she had realized she was the last of her tribe it had changed her thoughts.

"No, no, no!" Evan had raised his palms in the air. "You..." He searched for the right words. "I don't have a clue what you are talking about, but it was not my intention to make fun of you. I meant it!" He assured her and from the expression in his eyes she could see he was telling the truth. He was really concerned that he made a mistake. That calmed her.

"Okay..." She said slowly. She was still unsure what he meant.

"Uhm...so on your world a woman couldn't be with a man when she decided to fight?" Ryan asked her.

"No. She could, but what man would choose a soldier woman? There is not future in such a relationship. A soldier woman could never be as attractive as a civil one. Maybe you share a night with someone but nothing more. Nothing that could be called a relationship."

"That's the point!" Lorne said carefully. "On earth things are different."

"Really? But the life of a soldier is unsafe. You could die every day. You couldn't risk to become pregnant and risk the life of your baby. And later you couldn't risk that your kids have no mother who cared for them." She told them and from their eyes she could read that they had an entirely different point of view.

"Okay, that's a good point but among our people, women can have both." Lorne hesitated. "You know...they can fight for their land _and _have a family."

"Oh!" So he really didn't make fun of her. "Among our people you must choose when you are sixteen. Family or army." She explained.

"I'm sorry that you got me wrong!"

"So you wanted to say that I'm as attractive as any civil woman among your people?"

Again Lorne and Campell exchanged a quick look and both grinned at her.

"No...uhm... we wanted to say that you are a little bit more attractive than the most!"

Okay, that hit her unexpected. "Okay...And what have my clothes and Ronon to do with the whole thing?"

For a second she had the impression Ryan blushed a little but she wasn't sure. "You remember our little talk about nudity and things like that?" He asked and she nodded. "Yeah, you know...tight clothes are another earth thing...no, I think it's more a guy thing!" He explained. "Maybe you've never noticed it, because things were different on your home planet, but, well, guys like to look at a woman. Especially when they are attractive and your clothes..." He cleared his throat. "They don't leave much room for speculations ...uhm...about your figure."

Again she noticed that Evan bit his bottom lip but this time she understood he did it because he was amused about Ryan's attempts to explain the strange behaviour of the Atlantis men to her. She figured that this whole discussion was a little bit out of normal for them.

"And is it good or bad?"

"Good...I mean... Oh damn it!" He hid his face in his hands and she looked over to Evan who still grinned wildly.

"You look amazing and there will be a lot of troubles because of that." Lorne tried to explain to her with a serious voice. "You know...Ronon doesn't seem to like it, when somebody looks at you in...hmm...let's say in a different way, or can't hold his tongue for a ...uhm...compliment."

Repeat that! She thought stunned but then she grinned.

"So Ronon tries to protect my virtue, hu?"

"Yeah, something like that!" Evan grinned and she couldn't help herself from burst out in laughter. The image of Ronon who tried to protect her even from looks and words amused her more than she could tell.

"Oh, very funny, Kaylena! He will beat the shit out of us, every time you are passing by." Ryan told her but was smiling himself.

She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed that hard but it felt good.

"Oh, I will protect you!" She teased him.

"You are too kind!" Ryan told her, while he followed Lorne's gesture and got to his feet.

"Time to leave!" Evan decided and she nodded.

The next two hours Kaylena walked silently through the forest and listened to the dialog between the two men. Most of the time she had no idea what they were talking about but she didn't feel the urge to ask them about it.

Today she had talked more than usual anyway and she preferred to keep her mouth shut for a while. There were already enough things on her mind.

They were nearly at the gate, when she suddenly stopped. Something wasn't right and with a short gesture of her hand the other two fell silent immediately and joined her side. Her head was tilted to the side and she listened carefully.

There it was again.

"We are not alone!" She whispered and gripped her gun, just like Lorne and Campell. She was glad they kept their mouths shut and concentrated on the situation, instead of asking her unnecessary questions. She pointed her finger in front of her and Evan nodded slightly.

Five minutes later they were hiding behind a few bushes and looked at the platform in front of the stargate.

Kaylena couldn't believe her eyes and from the expression on their faces, Lorne and Campell couldn't either.

A dozen men, each of them dressed akin in black leather coats and armed with a couple of weapons, stood in front of the gate. But it wasn't the men that kept her attention in the first place, it was the crowd of scared people in their middle. Most of them were men but she spotted some women, too. She could hear frightened and angry screams and someone cried badly. It almost sounded like a child.

"What the heck...?" Evan mumbled almost voiceless beside her.

"Worshippers!" She whispered. They were too far away, that anybody could hear them, but unfortunately they were also too far to overhear any of their conversations.

"What?" Ryan hissed as quiet as possible.

She couldn't say why, but she was sure that the men in the long coats were worshippers. Their looks and _something._ She had met enough of this mangy scum to them when she saw them.

She shrugged her shoulders. That was so typical. Why couldn't she travel to one fucking planet without ending up in a fight with this plague?

With a quite annoyed growl she moved forward until Evan held her back. She pointed at her ear and back to the crowed and finally he nodded. Apparently he wanted to know what they were talking about, just like she.

She snuck off to another hideout and another till she was finally in hearing distance. Quickly she glanced at her side, but Lorne and Campell were already there.

And then before she could concentrate on the worshippers the gate was activated and a man stepped through the horizon.

For a moment she forgot how to breathe and her mouth clapped open; then within a second it snapped back. So loudly that she was sure the whole planet must have heard it.

"Mikosh!" Her voice wasn't more than a breath but the others had heard it and looked at her with a curious expression. Kaylena swallowed hard and it cost her everything to push her fury down, but she knew that her eyes must be flashing with it. Suddenly her hands were shaking and she could feel her breath quicken. She gripped her gun tighter till her knuckles were white and prickled painful.

She closed her eyes. Ignoring the questioning glances from her team members she fought with herself. The urge to run to the gate and kill him, slow and painfully was so overwhelming she didn't have a clue how she managed to resist. Her thoughts were spinning and she felt dizzy from the mass of emotions which swapped over her.

Then it was over. With a deep breath she opened her eyes again. She raised her palms, to show Lorne that she was okay and wasn't about to do something stupid. He was still unsure about her former reaction but finally he nodded and turned his attention towards the men.

"_...are late!"_

"_Shut up or you...run with them!" _

Mikosh looked like the day ten month ago. No. She corrected herself –the coward looked like the day he had...

_Stop that! _Her rational part told her; even Mr. Furious rebelled against it, like a beast that tried its best to get rid of its cage. It cost her three more deep breaths, before she was sure she was only Kaylena. Without any inner company. Carefully she leant forward, but the screams and cries made it hard to understand the next words.

"_...how many?"_

"_Twenty-four." _

"_They...the implants?"_ She couldn't hear the answer but Mikosh laughed roughly and sounded very pleased with whatever the man told him.

"_So it's time for a run!" _

She changed a quick look with the others and she could sense that they had the same apprehension. She could feel the frown on her forehead deepen, as Mikosh walked over to the crowed and rounded it.

"_...will explain..! It's really simple! All you've to do is run!"_ He told the scared people who were guarded carefully by the armed men.

"_All you've...do is...ay alive! _Again he laughed and the urge to kill him boiled in her blood. _"It's really simple...and to spice everything a little up..." _He turned to the man he spoke to a minute ago. "_Take out the control crystal!"_

"Crap!" She heard Lorne and felt her own frustration growing, but on the other side she knew exactly that she wouldn't leave this planet without killing Mikosh.

The man obeyed instantly and handed Mikosh the crystal. She saw that he put it inside of his coat before he turned back to his terrified audience.

"_You can run, but you cannot hide!" _Mikosh laughed then he raised his arms and she heard Ryan and Evan gasp beside her, when the crowd suddenly disappeared.

Without a second thought she snuck back to their former hiding place and when she turned around the two soldiers were straight behind her.

"What the fuck is going on here?" The Major snapped.

"They have a run!" She explained the rather obvious. Kaylena couldn't believe it but she knew she was right. The worshippers were totally insane.

"Crap!" Ryan hissed. "They make their own runners?"

She nodded and listened carefully.

"He has the control crystal, so we can't dial Atlantis. How long till we are overdue?"

"One hour and thirty-three minutes."

She nodded firmly and took a deep breath. "Come on! We have to hide ourselves and come up with a useful plan!"

One that included Mikoshs death. A very, very slow and painful one.

TBC

* * *

A/N: After 4 chapters foreplay I thought it was time to start with the real thing

hope you enjoy

HeavenlyKitten: The Victoria Secret thing was much fun to write and I couldn't resist writing a little more of stuff like this in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it too.

* * *


	6. Runners

Disclaimer: look chapter one

Enjoy the new chapter. I hope it was worth waiting for.

* * *

CHAPTER SIX: RUNNERS

"Who is that man?" Lorne wanted to know after they found a place where they could hide for a moment without being found the first minute.

Although Kaylena didn't like the question, she knew, he had good reasons for asking.

"Someone from the past!" She mumbled while she watched Ryan's back. He was standing a meter away and scanned the area.

"Kaylena..." The way Evan used her name showed her perfectly well, that he wasn't satisfied with her answer. She swallowed hard and faced him.

"He," She hissed. "is responsible for my sister's death!" Her eyes were flashing with fury, she was sure, but she didn't care. "Six years ago the wraith attacked my home planet. We did our best and gave them a hard time but in the end we couldn't keep them from feeding." She choked while a wave of bitter memories washed over her mind. "At one point my commander decided that we had done everything we could to protect our world and should go to protect our families." For a moment she pressed her jaw together, so tightly it hurt. "When I came back to my home..." She swallowed. "I saw this filthy little scum. He threw my sister at the wraith that was after him in order to protect himself." She didn't allude that her sister was pregnant or that she was crying in fear, pledging for the lives of her babies. "I wasn't quick enough to help her. He had already killed her when I reached him." All the time her voice was not more than an acid hiss.

She saw Lorne swallowed hard and in his eyes she could see the question.

"I killed the wraith!" She hissed. "And I will do the same with him. In exactly the same way!" She was sure, that he liked to know, what she had done to the wraith but she kept her mouth shut. Anyway, she had told him more than she liked.

"Okay!" Lorne choked but rushed in professional mode a second later. "We need the crystal for the DHD, otherwise we are stuck on this planet."

She nodded just like Ryan without turning his head.

"Okay. He hid the crystal under his coat, so we must find a way to catch him."

"No problem!" She growled deeply.

"No!" Lorne shook his head. "First we have to get this crystal and dial Atlantis to call for help. There are twenty four people who were forced to play runners for some insane worshippers."

Her eyes flashed again but he held her gaze easily.

"First the crystal and Atlantis –then you can look for your revenge. Can you live with that?" For the first time his voice was stiff and emotionless.

"No, but I will handle it!" She hissed.

"Fine! And we should try to hurry. When Atlantis notices that we are overdue, they will eventually send a second team to check the situation. There will be no chance to warn them."

"So we have an hour to get the crystal and dial the gate?" Ryan asked.

"Looks like that!" Lorne agreed.

"Crap!"

"There's something else you should know. Mikosh is maybe in the possession of some ancestor technologies. Like the one he had used to make the crowed vanish." She informed them and earned some interesting curses.

"Okay. Any ideas to how we can find him?" Campell asked and looked around. Apparently he thought the forest was too huge to find Mikosh in time.

"Sure!" She nodded. "Follow me!"

It didn't take long till she heard what she was waiting for. An ear-piercing scream uttered by a woman not far away from them. From the look at the Majors face she knew he finally understood how she wanted to find their target.

She started to run and the continuous screams made her faster and faster. Evan and Ryan fell back but she didn't hesitate. Every second counted if she wanted to help the woman. She gripped her weapons and jumped over roots and fallen trunks and finally shot through between two trees on a little clearance. The same moment the gunshot reached her ear and she knew it was too late. She saw the lifeless body of the woman falling down on the leave covered ground.

Without a second thought she spun her right gun and shot the killer. She didn't hesitate to shoot a second time even though she was sure that the first shot took him down. Finally she stopped abruptly and scanned her surrounding. The sound of snapping roots made her whirl around, both weapons raised up against any possible target. But it was Lorne and Campell who stumbled through the trees and seemed a little breathless.

She lowered her guns instantly and put them back, before she knelt beside the woman to check her vitals. She was dead, so she went to the worshipper who wasn't in a better state. She fought the urge to kick him and started to frisk him instead.

"What are you looking for?" Evan asked while he kept an eye on the environment.

"This!" She held up a little detector after she made sure he hadn't any other ancient things with him.

"That's a life signs detector!" Ryan seemed surprised.

She shook her head but kept her mouth shut and studied the signs before she answered. There were eleven green signs and twenty-two red signs.

"That's a special detector. You can decide what it shows you when you program it." She explained them and felt Lorne standing right beside her, staring at the little monitor.

"The red ones are the runners, the green ones the worshipper."

"That's how they know where to look. "

"Right!" She looked a last timeat the dead bodies on the ground. "We should move!"

Lorne nodded. "Where to?"

"This one!" She pointed to a green sign, which was seperated from the others. "The more we kill the easier it will be in the end."

* * *

"How long are they overdue?" John asked and looked seriously over to Weir.

"Thirty minutes."

"That's not much!" Ronon could see the frown on Sheppard's forehead and he could understand his doubts. But unlike the Colonel he was sure that something wasn't right. Kaylena had been too happy with the fact that she could be part of Atlantis. She had tried to hide it from him, but he had read it in her eyes. There had been little sparkles of joy, which slipped through her brown eyes, every time she thought he wouldn't look at her. She wouldn't risk that by some stupid action.

"Maybe the stash was deeper in the forest than she remembered or they've met some natives!" John assumed.

"Kaylena affirmed me that Laijuna is an uninhabited planet!" Weir disagreed.

"Oh, come on, Elizabeth!" John tried again but Weir's face remained stoic. "Do you really think she betrayed us?"

"She didn't betray you!" Instantly everyone was looking at Ronon and he crossed his arms in an openly defending gesture.

"Oh, come one! Once she had twisted you around her pretty little finger, you..." Rodney started a dangerous speak but was rescued by John.

"What he meant is that she..."Sheppard started some kind of damage limitation, but Ronon interrupted him.

"She didn't betray you. Something must have happened!" He growled.

"Just like what?" Rodney snapped. "An army of angry ents, who tried to protect their holy planet? Oh no, wait! They..." The scientist begun in his usual arrogant tone but was interrupted again. This time by a deadly glance from everyone in the room.

"Maybe it was a trap!" Dr. Weir sighed. She didn't sound convinced or happy and deep inside he knew she did only her job, but it made him furious.

"No!" He hissed in angry voice.

"Calm down, buddy, I know you..." John had raised his palms and tried to avoid anger but was interrupted by Teyla who seemed as calm and friendly as ever.

"I agree with Ronon!" She said firmly. "Kaylena has no reason to betray us and aside from her rather obvious aversion against the wraith and the worshippers, it seemed to me that she was really glad about the opportunity to stay in Atlantis. She was really happy, when you offered her that she could be part of one of the teams, Elizabeth."

"She has emotions beside fury?" Rodney asked sarcastically.

"McKay!" Sheppard hissed in a low voice.

"What? It's –"

"Rodney!" This time Weir cut his words off.

"You are sure about her?" Sheppard asked in his and Teyla's direction without looking at anyone specific.

"Yeah!"

"Yes, I am. Something is wrong."

"Okay!" John nodded and turned back to Dr. Weir.

"Hey, is nobody interested in my opinion?" Rodney asked in an offended tone.

"No!" Sheppard answered simply which left the scientist open mouthed.

"Okay, let's check it out!" John propounded at the Atlantis leader, who pressed her lips together. Just for a quick moment, then she nodded in approval.

"Okay."

* * *

"How much are left?"

"Eleven!" Kaylena told him after she gripped the detector and studied the life signs. "And eight worshippers." She knitted her eyebrows and took a second look. "Crap, they figured out that something's wrong."

"How can you say that?"

"They teamed up!"

"Crap!" Evan mumbled. She nodded and looked at the two men and the kid–the runners. Somewhere deep within her, there was a part which wanted to laugh.

Runners!

The scared men in front of her had as much to do with runners as a wraith with humanity, not to mention the kid. But that was only another point that showed her what a coward Mikosh was.

"Here!" She threw the detector over at Lorne. "Watch them!" With that she got on her knees and looked in the eyes of the older man. She didn't show any expression. No charity. No smile. Nothing. She wouldn't risk to be touched by these ones, only to watch them die, when she failed.

"Where is the implant?" She asked in a low voice and watched both men exchange a quick glance.

"Look!" She hissed. "We haven't much time and if you don't want to get caught by this mangy scum, you tell me where the implant is!"

"Here!" She was more than a little surprised, that it was the kid who answered her question. She looked at the boy. He couldn't be older than ten. His blue eyes were filled with fear but he held his head up high. He tore his shirt away and showed her a blood covered area on his arm.

She raised a brow and couldn't believe her ears when he told her, that he tried to rip it out. She could see the others flinch, even Evan and Ryan but she only grinned.

"Brave boy!" And he nodded in return.

She didn't like what she had to do, but they had no time. Atlantis was already waiting for their return and she didn't manage to get the crystal till yet. Her team didn't want to leave the people behind, and she knew they were right, even if it might cost their own lives. But the only way to protect them from the worshipper at this time was to cut the implants out of them. It was only a simple detector, implanted under the skin.

She reached for her knife and the boy didn't wince for a moment. She locked eyes with him and after a small nod she gripped his arm.

"You are not allowed to scream, okay?" He nodded.

"What are you doing?" The old man choked.

"Rescuing his life." And with that she cut the skin and a minute later she gripped the little implant. She looked up again and recognised that he was crying silently. That touched her more than she would admit even to herself. But she cupped his cheek before she could avoid herself. With her thumb she stroked away his tears and smiled at him.

"I'm proud of you!" She told him and she meant what she said. This boy was tougher than most adults. She reached into her bag and found a bandage, just as she remembered it. She wrapped it quickly around his little arm and turned to the other two men, who stared at her with wide eyes.

"No...no...I cannot...You..." The younger one stumbled. She had no time for this shit.

"You have two choices: Let me cut out the implant or try your luck running! Alone!" She told him emotionless.

Five minutes later all implants were lying in her hand and she looked at Evan.

"A double team is coming up in our direction."

"Okay!" She nodded and looked over at Ryan who smiled at her humourless.

They had decided that one of them would take care of the three and guide them to the other four they had been able to rescue, while the other ones depose the implant on a fortunate place and wait for the next team.

Three _runners _at one point should be good bait for them. She wasn't happy with the situation, but she accepted that it was the best they could do at the moment, so she had agreed with Lorne.

Ryan would look after the three.

"Will you rescue my mom?" The boy suddenly asked and she felt her guts twist. She looked at him and his big blue eyes made it hard to lie.

"I will try it." She heard herself and hoped ardent that his mother wasn't the young woman she couldn't rescue two hours ago.

And than again she and Evan were waiting in their ambush.

* * *

"Lorne, Sheppard here come in." But again nothing but hissing reached their ears.

"Maybe it's because of the forest?" Teyla assumed and John nodded.

Rodney started instantly with saying that he had been right and they weren't on this planet anymore. And they would only waste their time –his time.

Ronon didn't listen while McKay wallowed in self-pity. Instead he watched his surrounding. Something wasn't right. He couldn't sense what it was, or why he had this feeling. It was one of those things which remained from his runner years. Like a sixth sense which warned him from danger. At first he wasn't sure, because of Rodney's incessant chatter. But they had barley entered the forest, when this sense was screaming loudly at him.

"Cover!" He hissed, not one minute too late. Only a second after they had hidden behind some bushes and trees, he saw two people running to the gate, a man and a woman. Both looked terrified to the bone as far as he could tell.

"What the heck...!" Sheppard cursed when two men, both dressed in long dark coats broke through the trees and ran after the first ones. The woman started to scream and tried to hide behind the DHD, while the man was running to the other side of the forest.

Ronon didn't hesitate and went after the men.

"Ronon!" He heard Johns voice but ignored it.

Nobody seemed to notice him. The woman was too scared, the man too far away and the men with the leather coats were too fixed on the woman. He was directly behind them and the moment they sensed the danger in their back, it was too late. He shot them right in the chest. Next second both were lying on the ground and he heard Sheppard cursing bawdy behind him.

"What the heck is going on here?" John asked while he looked down at the two men.

"Maybe she knows the answer!" Teyla said and walked over at the crying woman, who was still trying to hide herself behind the DHD. She was rocking forth and back and had crossed her arms in front of her.

"Everything is okay. We will not harm you!" Teyla stated in her kindest voice. "Can you tell us what is going on?"

Slowly the woman looked at them. Her eyes were deep blue and widened with fear.

* * *

"Crap!" Lorne hissed between his gritted teeth. She looked at him and he showed her the detector.

Oh, just great! Instead of the expected double team there was another team coming in their direction, consisting of three members.

She nodded to show him, that she understood the problem. A problem she could already hear. She forced her tensed body to relax and focused her mind.

A minute later two men in dark coats appeared in front of them. Both were looking at the detector and seemed a little bit surprised that they couldn't find what the detector showed them. Apparently these two didn't belong to the smart and clever ones.

She hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to attack them yet. The second team wasn't far but Lorne didn't seem to have doubts. He was already in motion and didn't leave her a choice. Alone he would be dead within seconds.

Instead of her gun she gripped her daggers and rushed after him. The worshippers whirled around and raised their weapons. She jumped aside and the blow missed her by an inch. But before her attacker could shoot a second time she reached him. Her daggers slid through his throat with a satisfied smack and she nearly overheard the snapping sounds behind her. The last moment she spun around and used the man's dead body like a shield.

The blow hit his chest instead of hers and she was confronted with the second team. One of them didn't hesitate and attack her, or better, he tried.

She let go of the body, waiting for him with flashing eyes. Her daggers where flying through the air, while she jumped and twisted around. That all happened so fast, that she nearly forgot about the other two. In the last moment she gripped her opponent and pushed him in front of her, as a shield just like the first one. One dagger was at his throat while the other found its place in deeper regions.

"Who are you?" Her new shield asked with a husky voice. He was trembling and she knew that it was from the loss of blood. She hadn't killed him but he wasn't far away from death.

"That," She heard a voice behind her that made her guts twist in pain. "that is the lovely Kaylena Lirren!" She jumped around, the man still in front of her, and tried her best to bring her back in one line with the trunk of a tree. Now the remaining men from the second team were standing on her left and on her right side...no that couldn't be!

How was it possible?

Oh crap, Kaylena. The beamer!

Lorne had killed the worshipper from the first team and his dead body was lying cross the ground. But Mikosh apparently used the ancient technology to appear among them, without being seen. He was behind Lorne's back and had one hand around his neck while the other held a gun pressed at his temple.

"He appeared out of nowhere!" Evan choked while Mikosh was grinning wildly at her and she wasn't far from losing self-control, when he started to speak again.

"You shouldn't use that special weapon! It left a special mark, you know that? It wasn't hard to figure out who shot my man, even if I couldn't believe my own luck. A huge galaxy to hide and you came after me. That must be fate. "He grinned satisfied. Mikosh had always been a handsome man. Tall with blond hair and blue-grey eyes which seemed to glow in a light blue when he was laughing. A perfect face and body which housed a heartless bastard.

"Why don't you come over here and welcome me, just as it would suit you?" He asked with a sweet voice.

"With pleasure!" She growled and threw one dagger in his direction. She hadn't meant to hit him, it was too risky with Lorne in front of him and she would not dare to risk his life. So the half-moon blade was stuck, harmless, in a trunk behind them.

"Is that the way you welcome your long lost brother in law, Kay?"

Evan's eyes showed surprise and than understanding.

"Fuck you!" She yelled at him. She tightened the grip around her dagger and pressed it hard against the throat of the man in front of her, while her eyes shot hectically between Mikosh and the other two men. They had both raised their guns at her but remained were they were.

"Ts...ts...ts...Adara would be very mad with you. She didn't like you cursing."

"Shut up!" She hissed. "How darer you mention her name?!" Her skin tickled as if it was burning, while her eyes tried their best to inform her mind about the situation. There had to be a way out of it!

"Mikosh, what..." Started one of the men on her left.

"Shut up!" Mikosh yelled at him. "Can't you see I'm talking with my sweet little sister nlaw. It's not very polite of you!" He told him with his best reprimanding voice. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, your beautiful sister!" He sighed. "Why don't you be sane and put that thing down! I wouldn't like to harm you!"

"You filthy little coward! As if you could ever hurt me!" She spit at Mikosh and hit the struggling man in front of her in his right kidney, forcing a groan out of him, but he stopped moving.

She knew exactly that Mikosh tried to make her angry to knock her out of balance. Unfortunately, she had to admit that he did a fine job. Not that it was that hard.

"Kay!" He sounded hurt. "I only want the best for you, just like my dear wife. That's what she would expect from me." He smiled evilly at her. "And I would feel really bad, if I would fail. Adara would never forgive me!" He teased her further.

"Don't you dare!" She hissed again. Mr. Furious blared in fury and tried his best to take over control but somehow she managed to hold him back. She couldn't risk to loose control and let her instincts lead her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" His cold voice told her and she noticed that her hand was reaching for her gun. She clenched her chin as he pressed his gun with more force against Evans temple. A wordless warning what would happen otherwise.

She clenched her fist in frustration and shot him a deadly glare.

She would love nothing more than to slice the throat of the man in front of her and introduce Mikosh to her dagger, but that would be nutty. The other two would shoot her before she would reach him.

And there was another problem: Lorne. She wouldn't risk his life.

Crap!

"Oh, you couldn't be still angry with me, could you?" He sighed. "Oh, come on. That all was an eternity ago. Why can't we just forget the past and have a fresh start?"

She gritted her teeth till the pain dampened her fury.

"You killed her!" She hissed at him.

"No, the wraith killed her!" He corrected her and somehow managed to look serious.

"You jostled her at him! You could rather do it by your own hand."

"Let's face it!" He grumbled. "She would never have made to the gate. She was too slow, too fat. I..."

"Fat?" She screamed while her dagger pressed deeper in the man's throat. "Fat?! She was pregnant, with you children. You heartless bastard!" Her voice was overturning while her body was too stiff to move. Maybe it was her luck. Otherwise she would have lost her temper and tried to reach him.

"You sacrificed your pregnant wife to rescue you own life?" Evan choked in disbelief.

"Shot your gob!" Mikosh yelled at Lorne. "Shut up!" He screamed and hit Lorne with the gun but pointed his gun quickly at her. "Don't do something stupid!" He hissed and she let out a furious snarl, which forced him to laugh.

"Oh, Kay, you haven't changed a bit. Still more fury than woman. Sometimes it's hard to mention that you're Adara's sister. She was so soft and gentle and you..." He wheezed. "Always ready to slice a throat with your bare claws, aren't you?"

She heard the low rumbled laugh from the other two worshippers on her left but ignored it. She looked in Mikoshs smiling face and asked herself again how she managed to stay this calm. Maybe calm wasn't the right word. Mr. Furious was still drumming against her chest, ready to break free, but she held back.

"Why don't you join us? You would fit perfectly!" He hesitated a second before his smile wideed. "You would fit perfectly with me!" He licked his lips and eyed her as far as it was possible, while she was hiding behind his follower.

"I would rather die!" She spit.

"I could arrange that for you!" He laughed. "After you told me, where your treasure is hidden!" From one moment to the other, his voice was serious and included a dark, threatening tone or what he reckoned as that. And suddenly she felt the urge to laugh. She couldn't help herself from laughing deep and sarcastically.

Pervert and Redhead had tortured her two weeks and they weren't the first who had tried to force her to speak. They had failed and she would rather bite her own tongue before she would give Mikosh what he wanted.

How could he think that she would submit? To him?

"Stun her!" Mikosh yelled with fury which only made her laugh harder, but the sudden voice from her left kept her silence instantly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Sheppard's voice appeared from out of nowhere.

She had been so concentrated to deal with Mikosh and to push her fury down that she hadn't noticed Sheppard and his team which had surrounded them. But Lorne had been a little bit more open for his surrounding. The moment he heard Sheppard's voice he made a quick move and freed himself out of Mikoshs grip.

And from one second to the other chaos was unleashed. Sheppard was yelling, Ronon was growling, the worshippers shouted something she couldn't understand just before Ronon shot them and Lorne was fighting for his balance, while Mikosh only smiled at her. The moment he lifted his hand up to his chest, she pushed the man in front of her to the side, trying her best to reach Mikosh but it was too late. With a scornful laugh he stroke his chest and vanished.

"NO!" She screamed and Mr. Furious took over control.

* * *

The women had told them what was going on. This whole story was so odd, that Ronon had difficulties to believe it but the detector they found by the men, backed up what she told them. Unfortunately, the part with the absent control crystal turned up to be true as well.

They left Rodney, who was muttering non-stop over the whole situation, with the pale, shaking woman near the gate and followed the life signals on the detector. Sheppard decided that it would be the best to check the point, where the detector showed the most signs, first. Ronon agreed with him. Even if they couldn't be sure if Lorne and the others were one of the blinking points, it was the best option they had.

Sheppard and Teyla kept one detector, he the other one, so they could reach the point from two directions. He was faster and had fewer problems to find his way through the forest, so he had taken the longer way and circled the group.

He reached the group before the others and his eyes took in the picture in front of him. A handsome blond man, who was pushing a gun at Lorne's temple, was talking to Kaylena, who hid her body behind the back of a small dark haired man.

He didn't like the way the man spoke with her and less the way, he looked at her and the only reason he didn't rush forward and shoot him in the head was, the knowledge that he couldn't handle it alone. Not without risking Lorne's and Kaylena's life. So he pushed his snarling inner animal down and waited for the Colonel.

The moment he heard John's voice, he didn't hesitate and rushed forward, with a deep rumbling growl. Than everything happened in a fraction of seconds and he had barley time to notice everything.

Lorne freed himself from the grip of a handsome man; Kaylena pulled the man in front of her to the side and jumped forward, apparently to reach for Lorne's former adversary, while Ronon stunned the other two men.

That didn't cost him more than a brisk moment but the next second he heard Kaylena's furious scream. Ronon's head snapped back to her and he noticed that the man had vanished. He had no time to feel confused, since Kaylena didn't hesitate to run back to the gate and he followed her without a second thought.

Sheppard yelled after them to stop and turn around but neither of them paid attention to him, while they rushed trough the forest.

She was quick and she was furious. She radiated it like a bursting sun and he had nearly the impression he could smell it. His wild part cheered with anticipation as he sucked in her scent deeply. Like Kaylena he let this primal part take over control. It made him quicker, superior and more sensitive for his surrounding. And his inner animal seemed to love the company of a wild and furious Kaylena.

He held her speed easily. Apparantly she was on the way to the gate to reach the man who had vanished. He had no idea how he managed that, but even without Kaylena's reaction he would have guessed that he couldn't just vanished off the planet. He had to use the stargate and for that he must be in possession of the control crystal.

But when they reached the gate area, they only found a cursing McKay who was running toward the DHD but hesitated when he saw them.

"Where is he?" Kaylena shouted at the scientist, as soon as she was near enough. She didn't show any signs of debility from their run but her whole body was shaking in rage and her eyes were flashing with wild emotion.

Even MacKay seemed to notice that it would be advisable to answer quick and truthfully, without any drama.

"He...he put t-he crystal back and dialled out! A...a few minutes ago."

"Why haven't you stopped him?" She snapped and for a short moment Ronon really thought she would hit Rodney, but she controlled herself. He approached strict beside her. Near enough that their arms where touching lightly and the strange _thing _worked on her too. She calmed down. Only a little, but enough to tear Rodney from his fear.

"Well...yes you know...there is the woman and I –I couldn't..." He stuttered and turned his head to some trees behind him, apparently the place where the woman was hiding.

"You didn't even try!" She hissed and he saw Rodney wincing while Kaylena couldn't stop her body from shaking. Whoever this man was, she was more than only a little mad with him. Ronon asked himself what he had done to her. Not even the memories of the men who tortured her, forced this reaction out of her.

"Can you figure out the coordinates, he had dialled?" He rumbled and checked the detector, which showed him that Sheppard and the others were also on the way down here.

"Oh, yes!" Suddenly McKay found back to his normal self. "First you yell at me, and now that you can't help yourself I'm supposed to find out how to..." He shrieked as Kaylena grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"Can you figure it out?" She snarled.

"Yes, yes...sure!" The scientist choked with fear in his eyes.

"Kaylena!" Ronon growled and reached for her arm at the same moment her hand gripped McKay. It wasn't more than a soft touch but she let go of Rodney within seconds, who jumped back instantly.

Her breath was quick and unsteady and she looked at him with wild eyes.

"You're okay?" He asked with concern.

"If she's okay?" Rodney yelled with a breaking voice. "She? She wanted to kill me and you asked her if everything's okay?" He snapped.

"McKay!" He growled without looking at him.

"What?! " He hissed. "I..." He started but was interrupted by the activating gate. With the typical SWOSH the fountain shot out and the next moment two wraith darts flew through the horizon.

"Cover!" He yelled, and pulled McKay with him, whose eyes were as big as saucers. Kaylena was right beside them, while they tried to reach the shelter of the forest. The beamer missed them by an inch.

"That was him!" Kaylena hissed, while she ducked behind a bush.

He wanted to ask, what she was talking about but an ear- piecing cry call for his attention. The woman he had rescued from the two men acted irrational in her fear and instead of hiding herself like she did before, she left her hideout and ran towards the gate.

"W-What is she doing?" Rodney gasped as he eyed the woman.

But it was too late. The wraith beamer had already reached her.

"No!" Kaylena's voice was only a whisper as the woman vanished. Her fury had changed to sadness but than from one second to the other her mood changed again. Now she was all over business. She pulled out her guns and for the first time he noticed the alteration on her.

She was wearing a brown leather outfit instead of the earth clothes and was equipped with different kinds of weapons. Sure as hell she had some more in well hidden places. That would have forced him to grin, but at this moment they had other problems.

His radio started to rustle and the next moment Sheppard's voice reached his ear.

"_...non..ome in!" _

"Yeah!" He answered and while scanned the area in front of him. He couldn't see the darts at the moment but he knew that it wouldn't take a long time till they turned.

"_What's ...ing on?"_

"Wraith."

"_Crap! How many?" _

Sheppard's voice was clearer now so he guessed he couldn't be far from the gate. He sounded like he was running.

"Two darts passed trough the gate two minutes ago. Watch yourself!" He rumbled.

"_We are on the way! We...Campell and the ...and Lorne. Where were you?" _

"At the gate. Right side!"

"_Wait there!" _Sheppard ordered right the moment the gate was activated again and the darts came back. But before they left they beamed six wraith on the ground. Kaylena's eyes flickered at his and he nodded.

"Wha-What are you doing? Sheppard just told you to wait here." Rodney stuttered as he and Kaylena gripped their guns tighter and watched at the three wraith which were running in their direction.

"Evan! Ryan!" Kaylena hissed between her gritted teeth, the moment they both rushed forward in a similar move. "Keep your asses moving! Now! Six wraith and no time!"

"_What's going on?" _Sheppard's voice nearly drowned Lorne's and Campell's similar _Got it_.

Apparently a few hours with Kaylena had been enough for them to read between the lines and he heard Sheppard's curses as he realised what they were doing.

A minute later they reached the wraith!

He had no idea how much time had passed since he could spot Sheppard and the others. But it couldn't be this long cause the other wraith hadn't reached them yet. And the moment they noticed the other group they turned to them.

"McKay! Dial! "He heard Sheppard's yell over the sounds of gunfire and screams.

He had shot one wraith and was now involved in a hand to hand combat. Just as Kaylena, who was not far from him. She was fighting with knife a dagger and hold herself pretty well till the wraith got a lucky shot and she was flying trough the air.

He doubled his effort to get his one down but next second he heard the sound of a shot and the wraith who tried to reach her trembled. Four more shots and the wraith was lying on the ground. A moment later his adversary followed him, as Kaylena shot him, too.

He whirled around, the moment she got herself to her feet again, with a quick move of her upper body. She never led go of her guns and she looked rather pissed, as she eyed something behind him, which forced him to turn back.

"Crap!" She hissed and he agreed with a growl as he noticed the wraith who broke through the forest. With a quick 360° turn he scanned his surrounding.

McKay was standing at the DHD and was dialling Atlantis, Teyla, John and Lorne were busy with the other three wraith while Campell took care of a small crowd of people.

"McKay, hurry up!" Sheppard yelled again.

"I do!" He snapped with a shrill voice.

The screams and cries from the people reached the same high as they noticed the other wraith. But the view of six wraith seemed to quicken Rodney's actions instantly.

He changed a quick glance with Kaylena and without a word they sprinted to the gate, which opened a second later.

"_We come in hot!" _He heard Johns voice over his ear-piece. Everything went up side down and while Campell propelled the crowd through the gate Ronon turned around. The wraith were near –too near and he started shooting immediately. Kaylena simulated his actions and soon enough they where both shooting wildly at the approaching danger to afford the other passing the gate.

"Ronon!" He heard Sheppard's sharp voice from behind. "Kaylena! Back off!"

They both changed a quick glance and withdrew to the gate without turning around or stop shooting. Three of the wraith nearly reached them and it was time to leave the party, as Sheppard would have said.

"Jump!" Ronon growled and with that they pushed off and jumped backwards through the gate. He landed hard on his back but didn't stop shooting till the gate closed.

He turned his head to the side, only to see Kaylena looking at him. Her guns were still in position and she only lowered them slowly.

For an irritating second everything vanished from his view, except for her eyes. The glance in them was a strange mix between trust, anger, amusement and something else. It took him a second to seize it: Vulnerability.

But McKay's voice echoed though the gate room and the moment was gone.

"Oh, wonderful! Mr. and Mrs. Caveman found their way home!"

TBC

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long. But as I said, english is not my mother language and my beta was very busy. Hope you understand :-) Actually I'm working on chapter 10 so even if it will take some time till I can update I can assure you this story will go on.


	7. Garden Eden

Disclaimer: look chapter one

* * *

CHAPTER SEVEN: GARDEN EDEN

_Mr. and Mrs. Caveman? _ She knitted her brows and the glint in Ronon's eyes showed her that he wasn't happy about the name. He got up and she jumped to her feed a second later and put her guns in her holster, while she took a deep breath and turned around.

She noticed fully well that the soldiers hadn't lowered their guns and she knew it was because of her, but a second later Sheppard's firm voice ordered them to do so.

"What the heck happened?" He asked and it took her a second to notice, that he was talking to her and not to Ronon.

Her eyes flickered through the room; once she discovered Campell and Lorne, she felt her body relax with relief. Both looked at her the same way and she felt a light jolt of happiness. She tried to force it down but the part of her which had missed the feeling of someone who cared about her held the upper hand.

A gentle touch on her arm reminded her that Ronon was still standing beside her. And his presence let the strange happiness she felt inside grow even more.

Suddenly she felt absolutely overwhelmed. Mikosh, the memories, the kid, Ronon and her fighting like a unit, Evans and Ryan's eased faces...the damned whole last week had been just too much a once.

Good god, she was about to go crackers.

"Maybe it's the best to start from the beginning!" She managed to answer, as she noticed that the Colonel was still looking at her with a questioning glance in his eyes.

"Yes!" Elizabeth consented. "That would be the best!"

"Sounds like a plan!" John agreed.

* * *

An hour later they all were sitting in the conference room and Kaylena tried her best to ignore that everyone was starring at her.

Dr. Weir was calm and patient but she was as interested in her story as anybody else.

She didn't want this to be a soulstrip, so she pushed her emotions down and concentrated on the facts. Her feelings were her own business and it was not what they were asking for.

"My home planet is Lotharia; in former times it was called Eden."

"Wow, wow, wow...are you talking about garden Eden? You are joking? "

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What is garden Eden?"

"It's a legend." Weir explained to her. "In the association of one earth religious faith it's the place god created for the first human beings. It was a paradise but one of the humans betrayed god and they were banned out of garden Eden."

"Yeah, the woman!" Sheppard mumbled nearly noiseless.

"Not such a surprise!" Rodney snapped and didn't care of his audibility.

"Rodney!" Weir sighed, but that comment gained Kaylena's attention.

"What do you mean with _the woman_?" She asked further and looked from Weir to Sheppard.

"It's another part of the legend!" Weir explained again. "The first humans in this legend were named Adam and Eve. They led a carefree life in paradise. There was only one rule: They were forbidden to eat the fruit from a special tree. It's called the tree of knowledge." Elizabeth calm voice filled the room and she listened carefully.

"But they broke the rule. A snake coaxed the woman to taste the fruit and she coaxed Adam to taste it first. Afterwards they saw themselves in a different way and god –angry because they had broken his rule –threw them out of paradise. And to punish them further he damned Eva to suffer pain by the birth of her children and Adam to a life of hard work."

She gasped in surprise. "And that's an earth legend?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth nodded.

"That's strange, because on my home planet we had a very similar legend. It tells the story of a woman and a man who lived on Eden. They had a happy and careless life, too. The ancients looked after them and watched over their safety. Like in your legend there was a rule. There was a forbidden place, a cave. But two of the natives, a couple, broke the rule. One day they spent their day in the forest. They didn't care where they walked and ended up near the forbidden cave and before they could turn around and leave the place a bug spoke to them."

"A bug?" Suddenly there were a lot of nosy eyes on her.

"Yes, a bug! Don't ask me why!" She shrugged her shoulder. "He invited the couple to the cave –his home –to have a rest from their exhausting walk." She tried to remember the legend correctly because the others seemed to be very interested in it. "First they nixed it, but the bug coaxed them. That means he coaxed the woman and she coaxed her man."

"Ha! There you have it!" Rodney shouted with a triumphant smile. "Another galaxy, but the same old story!"

"Rodney!" Weir and Sheppard hissed in unison while Teyla sent him a warning glance.

"Whatever!" Kaylena shrugged her shoulders again." They followed the bug into his cave and something happened to them in there."

"What do you mean?" Weir asked.

"I don't know what happened. Nobody knows. But when they left the cave the next morning they had changed. It didn't take long till the ancients found out that they offended against their rule and to punish them they kicked the two out off our planet." She hesitated a second. "But..."

"But?"

"They called for revenge." She looked around only to notice that everybody was exchanging quick glances. Well everybody except for Ronon, who seemed rather unimpressed.

"Well, that's very interesting. Maybe this planet is the source of the wraith!"

"Excuse me?" She snapped and looked at Weir. "Why should Lotharia be the source of the wraith?"

"We found out, that the wraith had once been human. They mixed up with a creature which is called iratus bug." Teyla's calm voice explained to her.

"And you think our legend tell about the genesis?" She asked with obvious doubt in her voice.

"Yeah, that's absolutely nuts. It's only a legend." Rodney hissed. "Can we end this little fairy-tale now and turn toward the important things? Like the vanishing thing?"

She ignored him, so did the others.

"Most legends are based on something real!" Elizabeth gave objections.

"Maybe!" Kaylena shrugged her shoulders. "I'm more for the real thing!" She told them and earned a low rumbling laugh from Ronon.

"So, you're from Lotharia..." Sheppard started again.

"Yeah!" She said softly. "Lotharia, that's what they call it today..." She swallowed. "What they called it, till the wraith destroyed everything."

"Take the time you need." Teyla offered her warmly, but she shook her head.

"I´m fine!" She would not allow herself to wallow in self-pity. And sure as hell not in public. "Six years ago, the wraith attacked my planet. We had a huge and powerful army but in the end our efforts were smashed down. We killed hundreds of them but the more we killed the more were sent to our planet. So at last my commanding officer..." Just like before on the planet she was interrupted on this part.

"You've been in the army?" Sheppard asked and Ronon seemed to be interested in her answer as well, because she could feel him shifting beside her.

"Yes!" She answered truthfully. "Since I was sixteen. Four years later the wraith attacked us and destroyed everything."

"You've been on the run for six years?" Sheppard asked her, and she could feel Ronon stiffen beside her. Only lightly but she was sure without turning around to check.

"No, I've never been a runner! Not this way!"

The questioning faces forced her to answer. "The first two years I've spend alone, to..." She hesitated a second. "handle myself."

"What do you mean with handle yourself?"

She didn't want to answer that question but Lorne already jumped in. Obviously to help her without knowing that there was a lot more of this stuff.

"Is it because your brother –in- law?"

"Your brother –in-law?" Teyla asked and looked as confused as anybody else except for Lorne and Campell who knew already about the mangy part in her family. At least he wasn't of her own blood.

"The man on the planet. The leader of the worshippers, who enslaved the people..." She started but was interrupted by Rodney.

"You mean the one who appeared out of nowhere and escaped through the gate?"

"Yes, the one you let escape through the gate!" Her voice was calm and firm without any emotion. She was still pissed that he hadn't even tried to stop Mikosh even though she knew he hadn't had a change against him.

"Me? If you had stopped him, when you had the chance..." He reached the path for his own funeral, before Ronon snarled at him.

"McKay!" The way he pronounced his name was more than enough to silence him instantly. But not without a last nasty look in her direction.

"She was so kind to consider the fact that he pressed a gun at my head!" Lorne told the scientist with an angry glance.

"Oh, well...yes that was...kind of her!" McKay agreed a moment later.

"What's with him?" Ronon wanted to know and she couldn't avoid herself from staring at her team mates for a wordless moment.

"Mikosh was the husband of my older sister Adara and the father of my two unborn nephews." She gritted her teeth and repeated what she had told Evan and Ryan but this time she banned all emotions from her voice till it was cold and uninvolved.

"He left her to the wraith?" Teyla eyed her in disbelief.

She let out a joyless laugh before she got serious again. "Yes, he told me she was to slow and fat to made it to the gate, so he decided it would be the best to sacrifice her to rescue his own life. "

That forced even a gasp of disbelief out of Rodney. Then everyone went silent as if they were afraid of asking further questions.

"What happened after you killed the wraith?" Okay, everybody except Ronon who had a talent to ask the right questions.

"I got a little bit lost!" She admitted through her gritted teeth. "In killing wraith and stuff like that!" She said vaguely.

"A little bit lost?" Rodney didn't look very happy with her answer.

"Yeah!" She admitted without saying anything about the humans she had injured in the overwhelming urge to slice the throats of this white haired devils. That was her own business. She had lost her mind and she had paid for it two long years. She had stayed away from every human being, because she was afraid of hurting someone.

"Killed a lot of them, till I left the planet. I was one of the last who made it trough the gate." It cost all her strength not to close her eyes and get lost in memories.

Not even a deep breath, Kaylena!

"The next two years I lived on my own." Truth to be told she had been a hermit, till she was sure she could control herself. And then, when she had become acquainted to Mr. furious, with all his facets, the good and the bad ones...that day she had noticed that she wasn't longer welcome in the civilisation. She had tried a few times but it seemed that the new controlled Kaylena was feared more than her old self. It was strange but it was a fact.

So she did the only thing she had ever learned. Fighting.

"After that" She continued "I think you could say I became a hunter."

"You were hunting wraith?" Rodney asked nervous.

"Of course!" She said and hid an amused smile; apparently he couldn't forget the little episode at the DHD. "And worshippers if I got them. I started to build stashes on many planets. I travelled back to Lotharia and collected as many weapons and useful things I could find. I was a good hunter, I think."

"I bet you were!" Sheppard mumbled but she ignored the compliment.

"But around eleven months ago things changed."

"You were no longer the hunter, I guess?"

She nodded at Weir. "Yes. I was on a planet with a huge market..." She gasped still in disbelief about the events of this day. "I was buying some food when I heard the voice of the man. The _preacher_! He tried to convert the people to become wraith worshippers. Can you believe that?"

Teyla looked at her as if she was insane and without looking she could tell, Ronon did the same.

"He tried to convert people?" Weir eyed her with a raised brow.

"Yeah, he praised the strength and the superiority of the wraith and told them that there's only one way to survive."

"To become a worshipper!?" Ryan asked stunned and apparently disgusted by the idea.

"Yes, as far as you are worth it, of course." She laughed humourless. "Food is rare, you know. So there could only be some chosen ones who would be allowed to join the lucky community."

"What happened?" Teyla asked her with a worried face.

"As you can imagine the people were not happy about this shit. Some of the men tried to stop him but he had followers with enough weapons to convince them it would be better to listen."

"And then?" Lorne asked but looked as if he knew the answer already.

"Then it was my turn."

"You killed him!" Ronon growled and seemed satisfied as she looked at him and nodded slowly. As she turned around, she could tell that Dr. Weir wasn't as satisfied with that as some others on the table.

"I'm not sorry for killing him!" She told her. "He was a worshipper, no longer a human life which is worth saving. But I've underestimated the others. I brought five down but the others managed to catch me. They brought me to another planet and who was waiting for me there? My dear brother in law, who couldn't bear his luck!" She didn't want to make a drama out of it so she just shrugged her shoulders. "I managed to escape but unfortunately without killing him first. Since that day they haunted me."

"Why didn't they kill you?"

"Oh, I impressed them!" She snarled. "That's why they brought me to their _leader_. Thought I would make a good worshipper or at least a good Runner for their masters."

"Insane!" Evan mumbled.

"Yeah, you could say that!" She agreed. "But when Mikosh saw me, he remembered something else. The fact that I'm the last of my tribe and therefore must be the keeper of the Lirren heirloom."

"Which kind of heirloom?" John asked with sing sang voice.

Okay, slow but steady they came to the real points.

"You see..." She began and took a deep breath. "As I told you, Lotharia was guarded by the ancients. But it was more than only a guardianship. They lived among us. With us!" She added.

"One moment. Stop it. What do you mean by _with us_?" Rodney intervened harshly.

"I meant, what I said. My ancestors and the ancients lived together. As equals, friends and lovers. My ancestors _are_ the ancients."

"Wow, wow, wow!" Sheppard raised his palms. "You come from a planet where humans and ancients mixed up?"

"What's so strange about it?" Weir asked. "How do you think, you got your ancient gene?"

"Yes, okay, but..."

"It's like Elizabeth told you." She nodded. "It was nothing special. Everything was fine till..."

"Till the wraith came and war broke out!" Sheppard finished her sentence.

"Yes! It was not that they didn't expect this war, but they underestimated the wraith. And in the end they decided to leave this galaxy. Most of them did..."

"The ancients on your planet didn't leave?" Weir seemed rather interested.

"Most of my ancestors were killed in action. They were part of the crew in the Armada."

"Which Armada?" Everyone on the table asked her abruptly.

"The one which was sent against the hive ships. The wraith Armada."

Now she was sure she had the complete attention of everybody. She found it hard to believe that the people who lived in the city of the ancestor had apparently no knowledge of their history.

"There were two big armadas which fought each other. Of course that hadn't been all ships. The wraith had much more; otherwise there had been no need to leave this galaxy."

"And what happened to this great armada?" Rodney seemed rather unimpressed.

"They were destroyed! Both!"

"How can you be so sure about that? If both were destroyed nobody could report about it." Rodney asked in his usually arrogant tone.

"Cause it's part of my treasure!" She said calmer as she felt. "I know that because my ancestor was the commander of the leader ship. He sent the coordinates of the battle to his wife –a human. She had to swear that she took care of them and send them to Atlantis if they came back."

"Why didn't he send it directly to Atlantis?"

"Cause they countersunk it!" It was Ronon's deep voice which answered for her.

"They left their own people back here?" John asked her and she felt an annoyed growl growing inside her. "We were also their people. My tribe is as much human as it is ancient!" She told him. "And it was their decision. They chose to stay and fight instead of run and hide. The ancestors who decided to stay in this galaxy were part of the armada."

"And were killed!" Lorne added.

"Yes."

"But why is your ancient gene much more expressed than that from others? All that happened 10.000 years ago and..." Ryan started but was interrupted by Rodney.

"Because," He crossed his arms "she's from a planet where almost everybody is from directl lineage of the ancestors. That's not this hard to figure out, is it? Maybe everyone on her planet had the gene and gave it to their children. Sheppard's gene is more by accident than anything!"

"Excuse me?" Sheppard snapped.

"I mean that the chance to get the gene among our people is much less than on her planet. So it's only logical that her people had a strong expressed gene." The scientist explained as if everyone on this table was stupid except for him.

Again Kaylena felt her anger rise and couldn't avoid a low snarl. She didn't like the way the scientist was treating people and even though everyone seemed used to his behaviour she felt the urge to punch him for showing up Ryan.

She felt Ronon's light touch and a quick look told her that Teyla had noticed it too, while the others were too busy with talking.

With a deep breath she leant back and watched the others who were discussing wildly the things she had told them. Well, Rodney, Elizabeth and Sheppard were discussing. Every now and then Evan, Ryan and Teyla chided in with something but most of the time they remained silent. Ronon didn't make a noise and she felt comfortable with it.

She allowed herself to relax a little bit more, but a certain indisposition remained. She had told this people more about herself in a few days than anybody else in the last six years of her life.

There had been times in the past were she had wished nothing more for someone who cares about her and was a little bit interested in her history. Someone who listened. And in some night when her weak side got the upper hand she wished there would be someone who would hold her, stroke her hair and offered her his shoulder to cry on.

She never allowed herself to cry, not even when she was alone. She hadn't cried in six years. Not since her father died in her arms and she was not planning to do so now.

The voices were humming in her head and she could feel a light headache rising. She wasn't used to so much company. Especially not to this amount of talking.

For a second she wished nothing more than to be alone in her room only with the light noises of the ocean. The irony of this thought hit her a moment later and she suppressed a grin. For years she wished nothing more than company and now, that she got it, she wanted the silence back in her life.

"You'll get used to it!" Ronon's quiet voice ripped her out of her thoughts. She turned her head and eyed him a second before she nodded.

Ronon.

Since the first moment she saw him, she had felt safe and comfortable with him. She trusted him without any doubts. Around him everything was easy. One look into his eyes and she knew everything she needed, there was no need for words.

It was strange but truth to be told, it felt good. Never before in her life had she met someone with whom it had been like that. Maybe _linked _was the right word for it. She knew him and he knew her. Before she had met him she wouldn't have been thrilled about the imagination of someone who was able to read her so easily. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't hold herself from lowering her protecting barrier, in his surrounding.

She felt irritated and comfortable at the same time but the fury which normally would build in her, because of her apparently weak spot, stayed away. Far from it! Her dear inner friend Mr. Furious seemed more than pleased when Ronon was around.

Sometimes she felt as if this part of her had its own mind. Primeval and lead by instincts. She had learned to listen to him just as let him take control when it came to a dangerous situation. He was her energy and her inner fire. The one who had kept her alive all the time. He was her strength, but she knew very well, that he could be very dangerous.

But in Ronon's surrounding he was satisfied and sometimes she had the odd expression he was purring in well-being. It was nearly frightening. But somehow her inner part sensed a similar part in Ronon. Something in him was equal to Mr. furious.

"Kaylena!"

"Hu?" She realized that she had stared at Ronon and he at her. Instantly her head snapped around to Weir who was looking at her with a hint of impatience which let her know that it wasn't the first time she had tried to get her attention.

"Is everything okay?" Teyla asked softly and Kaylena mentally kicked herself for getting lost in her thoughts.

"Yes! Everything is fine!" She said calmly and tried to ignore the fact that everyone was starring at her with a curious expression.

Weir cleared her throat and tried again. "So your ancestor preserved the coordinates of the place where the battle took place?"

"Yes!" She admitted shortly.

"And what's so special about a 10000year old place where some wraith and ancestors fought against each other? I mean, why is this Mikosh guy so anxious for it?"

"It's simple. The armada of the ancestors included fifty ships. I'm not sure about the number of the hive ships but I guess it was around the same number." She stopped because she realized that she had left out a fact. "The time my ancestor sent this coordinates most of the ships were destroyed completely. Only five ships were left on our side and three hive ships. Mikosh hopes that they are still somewhere outside. It all happened a long time ago but only one Super-warship with its technologies would be a catastrophe in the wrong hands. Mikosh is from my planet. He has the ability to use ancient technology. "She ignored the harsh gasps. "He would use it for his insane idea. For his gods – the wraith."

And then from one moment to the other the mind blowing chatter started again. Now Rodney seemed not only impressed, he seemed rather excited.

"Fifty ancient ships?"

"Hive ships?"

"What are the coordinates?"

"Gods?"

"Are there any special kinds of technologies?"

"What the heck do you mean with _Super _–warship?"

"What's the chance to get more than one intact ship?"

"You've ever been there?"

One question after the other lashed down on her and she came up to Ronon by instinct. It nearly felt like an attack and she had troubles to prevent her hands from covering her ears.

"Enough!" Ronon's voice clanged through the room and forced everyone to keep his mouth shut instantly.

She signed with relief without noticing.

"I'm sorry, Kaylena. That must be a little bit overwhelming for you." Teyla smiled apologetically at her.

"Teyla is right!" Weir nodded. "It wasn't our intention to frighten you!"

"I'm not frightened!" She snapped instantly and caught an amused smile from Sheppard in Ronon's direction. She cleared her throat and calmed down. "It's only I'm not used to company and so much...chat since" She hesitated. "Since a long time!"

"We understand that!" Weir assured her.

"But what's with..." Rodney started but was interrupted by Sheppard.

"We understand that! All of us!" He demanded and finally the scientist got the hint.

"Thanks!" She smiled lightly. "I've hidden it well like every other person from my tribe had done in the last 10000 years. And now that you have appeared here...Maybe it's time to check out the coordinates. I've never had the chance to look them up and unfortunately not the ability to repair or use the ships. You are my only chance to see them in action against the wraith –if they still exist."

"You will give us the coordinates?" Sheppard asked her.

"Yes, but only under two conditions!"

"Ah, really? You let us do all the work and...!"

"Rodney!" Everyone hissed at him.

"First, I'm part of the team who searches for the armada!" She demanded.

Weir and Shepard exchanged a quick look and Weir nodded in the end.

"I guess that's no problem!" Sheppard agreed.

"Second, I've got a voice in everything which concerns these ships!"

Again the leader and the Colonel exchanged looks, this time it took longer.

"I'm not speaking about ruling, only about being part of making decisions when it's about these ships. I want to make sure that they are used for what they have been built for." She explained in a clam and clear voice.

As she had hoped, her voice planed the frown on Elizabeth's forehead and she nodded firmly.

"Alright, I think I must live with that!" She smiled lightly. "And I think I can live with that!"

"Fine!" Kaylena agreed. "There is one last thing."

"Yes?"

"Mikosh!"

"What's with him?"

"He will not give up and sadly I must say that he is in possession of some ancient technologies too."

"Is that so?" John seemed not happy about that fact. Neither was she.

"Yes. Every family on Lotharia had something from their ancestors. Mostly peanuts. Low technology. But some owned weapons and things like that. I'm not sure how many things he had. Or what kind of technologies."

"The _vanisher_-thing?" Evan asked.

"Yeah."

"Or the stunner weapon the worshippers used to knock us out on Nagari?" Ryan asked further and she could only nod again.

"Crap!" John hissed.

One moment nobody said anything, till Weir spoke again.

"The planet you hid your treasure on, is it safe? Or must we anticipate trouble?"

"Was there a time when we hadn't any trouble?" Rodney muttered.

"Normally I would say, there is no danger, but after what happened on the Laijuna I can't assure that."

"Okay. Prevention is better than cure." Sheppard agreed.

"Then I would say..." Elizabeth started but was interrupted by Carson whose voice suddenly cracked in over radio.

"_I'm sorry, but I need Kaylena here in the infirmary. The lad didn't stop kicking and biting everyone who comes near. He said that he wanted to see the pretty woman. I've tried everything but he didn't let anybody near him. He is bleeding and needs help." _The concerned voice told them.

"She will meet you in a few minutes!"

"_Thank you!" _

"Looks like you have a fan!" Sheppard grinned.

Suddenly she felt very uncomfortable. She could see the big blue eyes in front of her, asking her if she would rescue his mother. She swallowed. She had failed, how could she walk over there and look at him again? Why did he want to see her?

Nobody seemed to notice her discomfort, as they decided to look after her treasure in two days, after everyone had a little rest. And with that Weir closed the report.

Kaylena barley noticed it. The memory of the boy's blue eyes haunted her and her body stiffened against her will. She didn't want to go to the infirmary. She couldn't confront him. Normally she wasn't such a coward, but normally she hadn't to admit that she failed. Especially not face to face to a boy who had lost his mother.

"Company okay for you?" She suddenly heard Ronon's voice beside her and as if that was everything she needed, her body relaxed. The fear that had risen in her vanished and instead she felt safe and strong again.

Strange! That's what it was. Absolutely strange, but more than welcomed at the moment.

"I would like that! "

TBC

* * *

A/N: Obviously my beta is working at full speed ( thank you so much)

I know my wraith genesis is a little bit strange but the idea popped in my mind and I liked that idea. Hope you too.


	8. Memories

Disclaimer: look chapter one

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT: MEMORIES

_A week later: _

"Oh, come on, Kaylena! I don't want to lose this bet!" She heard Evan's voice while she moved to the side to doge Ronon's hit, which would have had enough power to force her down. He missed her by an inch and she smiled while she twirled around. The next second she kicked him with her sprawled leg in his stomach but even though she hit him with full force, he only stumbled a step back.

He grinned wildly and she had little time to react before he attacked her again.

Damn it! He was quick. Normally she was the quick one while the others were powerful. But power was only useful if you hit your target. Unfortunately Ronon wasn't only powerful but also very quick and had an eye for soft spots.

Again she ducked away and was involved in a quick sequence from hits and blocks a second later. She kicked again but he blocked her easily with his leg and the next moment he had gripped her wrist and swung her around. That hit her unexpected but not unexpected enough to give in.

Instead of struggling against his grip she moved with the motion and flipped herself over and landed straight on her feet instead of falling flat on her back like he intended her to do. She jumped and kicked her bare feet against his jaw. He let go of her wrist by instinct and stepped back.

"Hey, big guy! Do something; I made a bet on you!" Sheppard's voice sounded somewhere from behind, combined with a satisfied laugh from Lorne.

And he did!

Before she could blink twice he threw her over his back and she landed hard on her back.

"That's it, buddy!" Sheppard sounded pleased again.

Ronon twirled around at full speed. He was behind her and tried to hold her down but he made a fault and the next second she swung her legs back over her head and wrapped them around his neck. He trembled and gripped her calves and she used the moment to toss him forward. Unfortunately for her, Ronon was too tall and heavy for this move and she only managed half of the way before he crushed into her.

She let out a protesting moan and had troubles to find her breath again. Ronon didn't need as much time to recover from her unexpected move and grabbed her again. She tried her best to defend her self and at first it seemed she would succeed. She punched him hard enough under his chin to make her fist hurt but a second later he had her hands pinned over her head and blocked her legs with his own. In a last effort of antagonism she lunged her head forward but he dodged the last second.

She stopped trembling and looked at him. He smiled wildly at her and she had difficulties to suppress an annoyed growl. Certainly without success, which only made him chuckle.

"Damn it! If you wouldn't be this tall I would have made it!" She muttered and tried to sound huffy but could feel a smile on her lips which grew wider and wider as Ronon laughed out loud.

It wasn't the first time she sparred with Ronon and sadly not the first time she lost the match. But it was always curtly. And always fun.

He got up and offered her his hand which she accepted.

"That was amazing, Kay!" Kaaron stormed towards her and his blue eyes smiled brightly. She smiled back at him and stroked his stubborn hair gently.

The moment she had entered the infirmary seven days ago he had clung his arms around her and hadn't let go of her till she promised him not to leave.

At first that had made it only harder for her. She asked him how he could believe in her promises after she failed with her first one. But he reminded her that she only promised to try.

Indeed she had and than he begged her again to remain at his side. A little helpless she had looked at Ronon who seemed highly amused about her irritation, but tried to hide it.

In the end she had promised him that she would stay –for now. Till they found him a new home. He wasn't happy about that, she could detect that in his eyes but he had nodded and relaxed afterwards.

She had no idea what she had done to earn such trust from him. He didn't know her but apparently she had done something right. First she felt a little bit uneasy around him. Kids were nothing she was used to. She wasn't born to be a mother –she knew that as long as she could remember but obviously Kaaron didn't agree with her.

After her promise he seemed pacified and allowed Carson to look after his injuries and didn't make any trouble.

"You were okay, too!" He smiled at Ronon after a short pause, which forced everybody to laugh.

"Okay, hu?" Ronon grinned and tousled the boy's hair before he gripped him in a quick move and turned him around so that he was hanging in the air with his head to the ground. Kaaron laughed out loudly and tried his best get out of the grip. Of course without any result.

"I mean good!" He giggled. "Really!"

"Give up, buddy she's his heroine. But if it makes you happy I'm still your fan." Sheppard grinned mischievously.

"You only say so, because you won your bet!" Ronon told him while he put Kaaron back to the ground

"Hey, that's not fair! Can't I be a fan _and _make some money with my trust in you?" Sheppard raised his hands in a protective gesture.

Lorne rolled his eyes. "Why did you lose? Again?!" He asked her while he shook his head and she couldn't avoid herself from chuckling because of his expression.

"I'm working on it!" She assured him.

Ronon chuckled again and she shot him a deadly look which lost its effect because of the smile which was still on her lips.

"Nonetheless, you're the only one beside Teyla who seems to be able to give him a beating." Sheppard grinned at her. "Should I ask myself why only women seem to be able to do so, buddy?"

"Only if you are looking for a beating, I would say!" Evan chuckled after a quick look in her direction. Apparently it wasn't that hard to notice what she thought about that.

It sounded as if she only was able to hit Ronon because he let her. Of course that was bosh, but she couldn't help herself from feeling pissed. She knew that Sheppard was only joking and tried to tease Ronon but meanwhile she had difficulties with John's _easy _–going.

But that was not his fault. She only wasn't used to things like that and she was sure it would take its time to come along with this stuff.

"Oh, come on!" Sheppard shouted outraged and ironed the situation instantly.

"Maybe that's exactly what he's looking for!" Evan grinned.

"Oh, yeah, sure as hell. One woman kicking my ass off is enough. Thank you!" He muttered and as if Teyla had heard that the door slipped open and the Athosean stood in the doorframe in company of another woman.

She was petite and small with hair that gave one the impression that it was burning. She was not such a beauty as Teyla but something about her long red hair, her green eyes and her shy smile made her pretty. In a special essential way.

"Speaking of the devil!" John muttered quietly and forced everybody to laugh.

"Is there something we should know?" Teyla asked while she walked over to them, the unfamiliar woman behind her.

"Colonel Sheppard is afraid you would kick his ass!" Kaaron informed her without a second thought, which forced a funny expression on Sheppard's face and made the others only laugh harder .

"Thank you, kid!" He grumbled while Teyla raised an eye-brown. But a second later she stepped aside and introduced the woman.

"I think, except for Kaylena and Kaaron you all knew Dr. Alyssa Biggelow."

She noticed the light blush while Teyla introduced her to everybody and she also noticed that her cheeks grew a little darker as Evan greeted her back.

"So, Teyla gave you a few extra lessons, doc?" Sheppard asked the shy woman and she nodded a little uncomfortable, but Teyla was already there to help her.

"Well I'm here to ask Kaylena if she would teach her, because I'm not sure if I have enough time. It's almost harvest time on New Athos and I would like to spend as much time with my people as possible. But Ally is interested in fighting and I thought Kaylena's fighting style is much more adapted for her than the one of some others." She said with a slight smile in Ronon's direction who only shrugged his shoulders.

"You want me as a teacher?" For a moment Kaylena was a little overstrained but then she eyed the woman a second time who blushed a little harder under her questioning look. She ignored her petite and gracile stature and looked a little deeper. Even it was obvious that she felt uncomfortable she held herself straight and radiated something that reminded her of the dancers from her home world. That was something she could work with.

"Are you a good dancer?" She asked her and could sense her surprise.

"Yes...I mean I like to dance!" The doctor answered.

"And you are sure about it? I mean, me teaching you my fighting style?"

The woman nodded.

"It can be hard and frustrating and there will be more than one time you will have bruises and arching muscles." She wanted to make sure that the doctor was fully aware of what she asked for, but the moment she saw her clenching her chin she knew the answer. Apparently there was more under the fragile surface as someone would expect.

"I know that, but I want to learn how to defend myself!" She told her with a firm voice.

Now Kaylena didn't hide her smile.

"Great! Let's start!"

"You will teach me?" The red-haired woman asked her surprised.

"I told you she would agree!" Teyla told her smiling.

"Then you can exercise with me!" Kaaron beamed at the doc.

"Maybe later, Kaaron. First the two of you will get private lessons, till I know which are your strong and soft spots." He nodded and fell silent again but all the while he was smiling so she thought she did okay.

"So in future you should be friendly to the doc, otherwise there will be a third woman who is able to kick your ass, if she's annoyed!" Lorne told Sheppard grinning and Alyssa blushed again.

"I would never do that!" She affirmed.

"Yes and I -" Sheppard confirmed "Would never annoy a woman!"

She changed a quick glance with Ronon who didn't say a word but the glance in his eyes told her everything she needed to know and gave her a hard time not to laugh.

"Sure!" Evan nodded and sounded everything but confirmed.

"So doctor –mind if we started?" She asked.

"No!" She smiled her shy smile. "And you can call me Ally, if you want!"

"Fine Ally and it's Kaylena for you –don't even think about calling me Miss Lirren." She told her and kicked Ronon slightly as he started to chuckle again, which forced Teyla and John to change a quick glance and sharing a grin.

She ignored them and was glad as Ally nodded in agreement. The members of the military seemed to have no problem with calling her by her given name but every scientist she was introduced to was calling her by this _Miss –thing. _

"Okay than. Someone hungry?" Sheppard asked and Teyla nodded while Ronon's stomach gave a rumbling answer, which forced her to roll her eyes.

"What a question!" She mumbled and jumped quickly aside to avoid Ronon's hand with which he tried to slap her.

"Seems that you really need a break –you're getting slow!" She smirked and earned a grumpy glint but the same time she could see a slight grin on his lips.

"Mind if I watch?" Evan asked her. She looked at the red cheeks of the doctor and raised a brown.

"Ally?"

She cleared her throat and tried a sly smile. "Yes, sure, it's okay for me!"

"Kaaron what's with you? Hungry?" Teyla asked the boy but he shook his head.

"I will watch Kay, I'm not hungry!" He assured the Athosean who changed a quick glance with her. They both knew fully well that it was a lie but Teyla also knew that he wouldn't leave the gym without her. So the petite brunette nodded with a slight smile.

"Have fun!" John told them while Ronon contented himself with one of his typical grunts and together the three team members left the gym.

After Evan and Kaaron settled themselves down on the ground she started her first lesson with Ally.

Her gut feeling hadn't abandoned her. She was a dancer and with that she could be a good fighter, too. In the end _Dijiri _was nothing else, beside that it was a deadly dance.

* * *

They went to the cantina and after filling their trays they sat down on their usual table. All the while Sheppard was smiling all over his face, while Teyla was anxious to stop him with telling glances. Ronon ignored it and concentrated on his food till he was tired of John's grin.

"What?" He growled even though he knew what was coming.

"Nothing, it's only I couldn't remember the last time I've seen you this…" The Colonel hesitated and did a god job in ignoring Teyla kicking his shin. "Well, happy!" His grin got even wilder as he added. "Maybe I've never seen you like this!"

He ignored the hint and let out a quiet growl which forced Sheppard to roll his eyes.

"Oh, come on, big guy, don't be grumpy again. Or is Kaylena kicking your ass the only thing which makes you laugh?" He teased him.

"Maybe kicking your ass makes me laugh again." He rumbled and eyed him with an angry glance but Sheppard wasn't ready to give up yet and tried another way.

"If she's willing to train the doc she's maybe willing to train some of the marines, too."

"She has a very interesting fighting style; I'm sure it would be a nice enrichment to lean some of her moves." Teyla agreed firmly.

"Yeah. Strictly speaking there are already some marines who seemed to be interested in some lessons." John nodded and tried to hide a smirk.

"Really!" The way Teyla stretched the word let him know that she sensed that John tried to follow a certain line.

"Yes!" John nodded and ignored her tone. "Mitchell, Lewis and one or two others who have seen her fighting in the gym during the match." He hesitated a second. "But that was before Laijuna. Since she's back the interest went up!"

"The interest in her fighting style or in looking at her?" Teyla asked with a raised eye-brown.

"Both I would say! Okay maybe the one or other is more interested in a good view, but you can't miff them that. Nobody could deny that she looked rather hot in her clothes and..."

"John!" Teyla snapped in while he gritted his teeth but bewared his calm image.

"What? I'm only..."

"John!" She hissed again with a quick glance at him but he remained still and watched the little match. It was obvious that John tried to force a reaction out of him.

He wasn't blind and was fully aware of the way some of the marines looked at Kaylena or spoke about her. It wasn't much different from the looks Teyla got. He didn't like it. Neither by Kaylena or Teyla.

"I'm only sharing some facts with you!" John raised his palms and added. "She's a big girl! She will kick everyone to the moon and back, who would try to touch her. And furthermore Lorne and Campell seemed quite protective over her. Not to speak about big guy here!"

"She's their team member!" Teyla reminded him and kept him from teasing further, as he apparently had planned.

"Since a week!" John muttered.

"You should be happy about it. That only shows that she fits in here and even though she isn't such an open person she tried to get comfortable. Apparently with success."

"Yeah, the two really like her."

Something about the way he said that let him frown. Teyla had sensed it too.

"She's a nice person if you know her a little better." The Athosean smiled warmly.

"Yeah, sure!" John nodded and Teyla changed a quick glance with him and Ronon saw a amused glance in her eyes.

"May it be that you feel a little uncertain around Kaylena?"

"Uncertain?" John snapped with a big frown.

"Yes, you seem always a little uneasy around her. Normally you are more...casual around women!"

"What?" John stared at her with open mouth.

"Yeah, Teyla's right." He added which brought him a curious glance from the Colonel. "You don't like her."

"No! No-she's a great one." John hurried to answer. "Apart from the fury thing!" He muttered nearly voiceless.

"The fury-thing?" Teyla looked confused but Ronon knew exactly what Sheppard was talking about. About her wild side. What he liked most in her seemed obviously to be the part John had troubles with.

"Yeah! You know –she's stoic and emotionless but then when she's pissed, she" He raised his hands "Wham! Like an exploding bomb. And tell me if I'm wrong but she's pissed most of the time. Especially, when I'm around."

"You didn't like her, because you think she didn't like you?" Teyla asked astonished.

"It's obvious!" He muttered and the tone in his voice showed a good part puzzlement.

So Teyla was right. The Colonel couldn't handle a woman who wasn't willing to fall for the famous Sheppard charm.

Ronon wasn't sure if he should be amused or annoyed by it.

"You're wrong. She doesn't hate you!" Teyla said firmly.

"I didn't say that she hates me, it's more..." He searched for the right words. "She seems quickly pissed when I'm near."

"You're strange for her." Ronon rumbled.

"I'm strange?" John eyed him with disbelief.

"What Ronon means is that she isn't used to your behaviour." Teyla tried to explain to him. "And maybe it's that you couldn't handle her, because she's not falling for your charm as easily as most women?" The Athosean asked with a wicked smile and Johns face forced Ronon to chuckle.

"What?" Sheppard snapped and stared at Teyla with an open mouth. But Teyla only grinned and devoted to her food again.

"That's not true!" Now the Colonel sounded like a little child which forced Teyla's grin to widen lightly.

"I only say that you feel a little uneasy because she didn't got on with your..."She hesitated a moment "easy character." She finally said and he agreed silently with her.

The easy going earth customs which were part of Sheppard, like the fury in Kaylena, wasn't always easy. He knew that from his own experience, just like Teyla but both of them had gotten used to it and he was sure Kaylena would handle it too. But for someone who was on his own for so long it was hard. Nobody could understand that better than himself.

He wasn't quiet sure why she spent all this time on her own. Kaylena hadn't been caught after the final attack on her home planet and as far as he could tell there had been no one after her at this time. She said she got a little lost but he had no idea what she meant with it. There was more than she was willing to say, that was clear for him but he hesitated to ask her further. Something told him that she wasn't prepared to tell him what forced her to spend two years on her own before she decided to go on the hunt. And he had the odd impression that even during this time she had been on her own. He never had a choice. He couldn't risk to rest among people even for a short time. The one time he had allowed himself to let somebody look after his injuries...

They were all dead because of him. Not only the woman who had had charity with him, who took great care of his wounds, who let him rest for a while till he was strong enough to go on. Her whole village was dead now. He made them a prey –two times.

He pushed this thought away. He couldn't change the past but again he asked himself what happened to her that she stayed away from other people.

"...with Ronon!"

"Hu?" He asked irritated as he heard his name.

Sheppard changed a quick glance with Teyla who took a deep breath as she saw him smirking.

"John!" She tried again apparently as tired of Sheppard's tries to tease him as he himself. Whatever he had missed, it was obviously only another comment about Kaylena and him.

"What?" Sheppard hissed. "They _are _really similar! And apparently they like each other and she's not afraid of him. I only say they would make a good couple."

"John!"

"We are no couple!" He rumbled.

"But you would like that!" John grinned amused.

He let out an annoyed growl but before he could do anything else, Rodney showed up with a tray full of food and muttering something over citrus fruits.

"What are you doing here?" Sheppard asked and turned his attention to the scientist and gave him a hard time not to sign in relief. He had not interest in talking about this point. Certainly not with Sheppard who liked to make fun of such stuff and would grin all the time. But again he asked himself if Sheppard was right.

He knew her for barely two months now but had the impression he knew her for years. The little episode on the planet had deepened the familiarity to a point he had never shared with somebody. A part of him was still unsure about this whole thing and tried to stay away from this strange feeling.

He opened up to a strange person and let her near a point were it would be easy for her to hurt him. Not only physical. It was not his usual habit to make himself a target for such things but the trust in her overweighed the fear. And the more he accepted her being this familiar, the easier it got.

Sheppard was right when he said he never saw him laughing this much. The last time he felt this easy and comfy was long time ago. A cold grip that suddenly appeared around his heart reminded him of with whom he had felt this happy.

Melena.

"I make a rest! Maybe you haven't noticed but I'm the one who work all night and day and I'm hungry!" Rodney snapped while he took a seat but he barely heard his voice.

The picture of Melena twirled around in his head and he couldn't avoid himself from closing his eyes. As if she wanted to reward him, her memory looked at him with a bright and warm smile with reached her eyes easily.

The grip around his heart tightened and the moment he heard Sheppard's voice he knew a painful moan slipped out his throat.

"Hey, buddy!" Sheppard's concerned reached his ear. "Is everything okay?"

His eyes snapped open instantly and he was confronted with the worried looks of the others. Even Rodney seemed a little bit concerned and he cursed himself for being this careless.

"Yeah! Everything's fine." He growled but wasn't sure if this was true. He tried to keep himself away from thinking about Melena but it was harder since he was back from Sateda.

Thinking about her and about what he had lost during that day hurt much more than physical pain could ever do to him. That day he had lost everything he ever knew and had meant something to him.

Family. Friends. Home. Everything that had formed him and made him who he was.

Again he saw the explosion behind Melena's back but before it could kill her he tore himself away from the memory.

He couldn't change the past! He had to remain himself about that. The present was everything he had and the only thing he should care about. But as always that was harder to tell than to do. Especially, when it came to Melena.

But then his thought drifted to Kaylena and again he asked himself if Sheppard could be right. He let the last two month pass by in front of his inner eyes. From the moment he found her in the ruins till the moment she dodged his slap with a wicked smile a few minutes ago in the gym.

He had loved Melena but what he felt for Kaylena was different. He felt linked to her but couldn't fathom it more specific. Maybe he should let it be this way without digging deeper. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to be deeper, if he was able to handle with anything deeper.

His inner animal flared up in protest but he ignored it.

"Hey buddy. You're sure everything's okay?" John asked again and couldn't keep himself from snarling which forced Rodney to flinch.

"Yeah!" He growled. "What's with the map he asked instead and was confronted with questioning looks. Apparently he had missed this point.

Unlike the little trip to Laijuna the search for her family treasure contained no sudden complications. Weir had sent them with Lorne's team to prevent troubles but luckily it was needless. They've found the map on which the coordinates of the armada were hidden and were quickly back in Atlantis where McKay found out that it was damaged.

Kaylena was shocked but Sheppard assured her that McKay would be able to repair it. Naturally Rodney had held an endless speech about the way he was treated: The pressure and the insolvable challenges they would saddle him. But in the end he had gripped the map and disappeared into his lab, all the while muttering some inapprehensible things in his usual arrogant tone.

This had been a week ago and apparently this map hold in more difficulties damages than they thought. But he knew McKay, the more he muttered the anxious he was to find a solution, in the end. He had no doubts that he would be able to repair it.

"What?" He growled as he got tiered of the questioning glances.

"No-Nothing!" McKay hastened to answer and he realized that his tone was a little too harsh. "As I said, I will be able to repair it." Rodney added.

"Hey buddy, maybe you should calm down a little bit!" The way the Colonel looked at him was serious but included a worried glint while Teyla was obviously concerned.

"Ronon is..." She begun but he stood up harshly before she could end the sentence.

"You are right!" He nodded in Sheppard's direction and left without another word.

He walked to one of the balconies. One which was far away from the living area. He didn't nee someone who bugged him. All he needed for now was some time on his own to clear his mind from the memories and confusing thoughts which dwelled up in him.

Again Melena's picture popped in his mind. She was dancing and twirled around with loud laughter. Her head was bent back in her neck, her eyes closed and her arms were spread. She whirled quicker and quicker till her blond curls flew high in the air. Suddenly she stopped and opened her eyes. She looked exactly in his direction and her brown eyes smiled warmly at him while she called him to come near.

He started to run. Running away from the memories and away from the pain linked with them. He got faster and faster but no matter how many meters he laid back he couldn't run from the pictures in his mind. But after a while the laughter died away.

He stopped on one of the balconies and gasped loud for breath. His hands gripped roughly around the balustrade till his knuckles turned white. His whole body was stiff and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't force himself to relax.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about the past?

All the years as runner he had been able to push this thoughts away. The only thing –the only feeling he had allowed himself was rage. It had worked well. Rage was his source of energy. The only thing that had kept him alive.

And now the rage was gone and the only thing left was pain.

Slowly he closed his eyes while his head sunk on his hands. Never in his life he had felt this weak and effected. He breathed deep and slowly but he was too weak to force the memories away.

He remained still and let it happen. That was not his usual self –normally he would grit his teeth and fight against it -but at the moment he didn't have the strength and the will to do something against it.

Ronon had no idea how long he stayed there this way till he felt her presence, but it was getting dark as he looked up, so it had been some time.

Kaylena didn't speak or expected him to do so. She only stepped beside him and watched the sun going down, plunging the ocean in different colours. They stood near enough that their shoulders touched lightly. He never turned his eyes from the ocean but slowly he felt his body relax. He hadn't even noticed that he had been that tense all the time till the moment it released.

The memories were still there but the pain faded away and he sighed with relief. She shouldn't have such power over him but at the moment he could only feel eased.

He lent a little more against her shoulder before he could restrain himself from it and felt her return the pressure before he could fear he had done something wrong.

Again he closed his eyes but only for a short moment. Melena smiled brightly before she threw her head back, spread her arms and twirled out of his view.

He sighed again and opened his eyes. He couldn't change the past so he should stop thinking about it. The present saved more than enough he had to handle with.

And not everything was bad , he reminded himself with a quick glance at Kaylena.

TBC

* * *

A/N: This chapter is maybe a little sad in some way, but I convinced myself (like always) that I need some slight romance in my story. So I thought Ronons past had to find its place here, so that I could go on with it...

Hope you enjoyed it.


	9. Lost and found

Disclaimer: look chapter one

* * *

CHAPTER NINE: LOST AND FOUND

_It was behind her. So near that she could almost feel its rotten breath in her neck. She wanted to close her eyes to focus and keep her guts from flinching, but she couldn't. Not now. She needed all her senses if she wanted to escape. And there was no doubt that she wanted it. _

_But suddenly her ears caught a strange sound and her body quaked in fear. _

_Her name! The thing had called her name! _

_It was the cold and icy sound which let her stumble, and with a frightened scream she fell to the ground. Her hand gripped her hidden knife and she tried her best to spin around, so that she would land on her back, ready to defend herself. _

_For a moment it felt like everything would happen in slow-motion. But she managed to grip her knife and spun around while her body got nearer and nearer to the ground. Only a second before she had completed her turn and laid eyes on the thing, she awoke._

* * *

As her rational mind took over control again she found herself crouching beside her bed, a knife in her hand and ready to kill. She was breathing heavily and her eyes scanned the dark for possible dangers and her heart made a frightened jump as she recognised the quiet and constant breath from another person. The moment she realised that it was only Kaaron she relaxed. She let herself down to the bed again and closed her eyes.

It was only a dream she told herself, like each time. She let go of the knife and buried her head in her hands while her breath got normal again.

"A dream. It was a dream. Only a dream, Kaylena." She mumbled quietly. Under normal circumstances her mantra worked well and after a while she was able to sleep again. But today it didn't help. She silently cursed herself for being afraid of a dream. She wasn't a little girl anymore.

She hated these dreams. They felt so real. Her fear and her pain felt so real. She wasn't sure how long she was haunted by them but she had the nasty feeling that it started after the final attack on Lotharia. And it was always the same dream.

She was on her own and these _things _tried to kill her. They never got her but on the other hand she never managed to rescue herself. She was on the run and most of the time she nearly made it, but then when she thought she reached her goal she awoke or worse –it started all over again. There was no escape.

She sighed deeply and opened her eyes. She looked at Kaaron but the boy was sleeping amicable. She didn't need to go over there and check it she could tell it from his constant breathing. If he was awake it would sound different.

Kaaron! Again a sigh escaped her. She had no idea why but the boy felt save and happy with her. As long as she was near him everything seemed to be okay for him.

She liked him. She had never been good with kids –their endless questions, their screams and tears, not even with their high pitched squeaks of happiness. That had been Adara's territory. Her sister had loved children and she was always stunned about how easily she managed to handle the kids. The memory of her sister let her swallow and she hurried to turn her thoughts back to Kaaron. He was indeed different. He didn't scream when she was around, his questions were always at the right time and when he laughed it was an enjoyable soft sound instead of an ear piecing cry. He didn't laugh often and although she knew he hadn't much to laugh about she regretted that she wasn't allowed to hear it oftener.

She had spoken with Teyla and the Athosean leader offered her that Kaaron could live with her people on New Athos. One of the families would give him a new home and take care of him. But she hadn't told him yet.

Kaylena knew exactly that he would protest against it although she had told him from the beginning that he couldn't be with her.

She couldn't be with him. Not now. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life, because that was what Kaaron seemed to have in mind.

She had been on her own for years and she wasn't sure if she cold handle herself, now that she was back in the civil world. There were so many things she wasn't used to for quiet a time and it was hard enough to get along with so many people.

She wasn't ready to take responsibility for someone else.

"Not yet. Maybe never!" She mumbled and got up. She changed in her sparring outfit and tried to push her thoughts aside.

Kaaron would have a happy life on New Athos and although she couldn't promise him to be with him she could promise to visit him. And that was more than she would do for most people.

With one last look at his sleeping form she left her room. A little exercise was exactly what she needed right now.

* * *

She couldn't have been longer than half an hour in the gym, training fighting trajectories, till the door slipped open and Ronon stepped in. She wasn't really surprised. Truth to be told she was surprised when he wasn't here as she walked in.

He hesitated a second but then she noticed the slight smile on his lips, the sort of smile he usually showed her when they were in public. Most people didn't even notice. Maybe Teyla but the Athosean leader was far away from being like most people.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and returned the smile.

"Couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head. "You?"

"The same. Feel like a little sparring round?" She asked and knew the answer before she saw his smile widen. He stepped across the room and took some knife dummies which the marines used to practise with him as far as she knew.

"You told me, daggers are your favourite. Show me!" He handed her two knifes and she tested their weight and lengths before she nodded slowly.

"They are a little bit short, but it will work."

With a satisfied smile he got into a basic position and nodded. Kaylena didn't loose a second and attacked him. Just like her he was always ready to defend himself and she was sure that he didn't want her to go slow.

He blocked her first strike, but she hadn't expected anything else and she didn't hesitate to attack him again, this time with more speed and power.

She had no idea how long they have been fighting till she got a lucky shot. He fell for her feint and gave her the chance to attack him with a special move which was complex but very striking. With another quick movement he lay down on the floor with her knife on his throat. For a moment he eyed her with disbelief then a big smile build on his lips.

"I think Lorne will be troubled about the fact that you finally won without him betting on you!" He growled in his typical low manner and got up, after she put the knife away.

"There's no need to tell him! Then I've got something to blackmail you with." She smirked with a twinkle.

"Loosing against you is nothing to be ashamed of." He answered and caused her to smile. Ronon was not very talkative but when he did he always found the right words to raise her mood up.

"Show me the last move!" He begged her, although it sounded more like an order but she didn't mind. That was Ronon's style.

"And loosing my advantage over you?" She teased him.

"You've a lot more moves you haven't shown yet!" He countered and forced her to grin.

"Right! If you show me the attack you used the last time to get me down!"

"Deal!"

„Okay. The basic position isn't much different from the ones you use normally. But it's important that you shift your weight on the front foot and your arms like this." She explained him the basics by demonstrating it on herself while he copied her actions.

Step by step he learned one of the most complex movements that existed in _Dijiri _and she wasn't really surprised that it wasn't that hard for him.

"Okay, show me!" The demanded after she got into a defensive position. A second later her back pitched onto the mat with a loud bang and she let out an annoyed moan. Maybe she should have told him that it wasn't necessary to use all his strength for this demonstration.

"Everything okay?" For the first time he sounded a little bit alarmed and got on his knees beside her.

"Everything's fine!" She groaned. "Guess it's my own fault. Remember me not to show you the deadly moves." She straighten up und crossed her legs.

"Guess sometimes I forget about my own strength." He mumbled.

"Yes, feels like it!" She laughed cause of the sheepish look on his face. "It's okay. I will get my revenge!" The slight grin on his lips showed her that he was okay with it. "But your performance was very good. You would have been very welcomed in our army. Guess my commander would have loved you!"

"Strangers were allowed in your army?"

"If someone decided to live on our planet he or she has to aid Lotharia. One opportunity was to join our army."

"Seems as if Lotharia and Sateda weren't that different."

"Not in bloom and not in downfall!" She mumbled and saw the small nod he sent in her direction. For a moment they both remained still and remembered their homes. Ronon was the one who spoke first.

"May I ask you something?"

That caught her attention. Ronon never asked for permission. So she decided it was something important or something he wasn't sure if he has the right to ask.

"Yes!" She nodded after a second of hesitation. Ronon was the only person she knew, she would allow to ask her everything and answer truthfully. If she wasn't willing to do so she would have said no.

"Why have you lived on your own for so long? You weren't forced to."

She sighed. That was exactly the kind of question she had feared. She didn't want to answer but she had given him permission to ask and now it was her turn.

"The day the wraith attacked us I lost everything. My father and my two brothers died during the final attack. My mother, my sister in law with her son and my oldest sister died during the first attack. They were on the street when they opened the fire. And my youngest sister..." Her voice broke on this part. Adara wasn't the only one of her family that had died but her death was the worst of all and of course the only one she had been forced to witness.

The look on Ronon's face reminded her that he knew what had happen to her sister and she was glad that there was no need to repeat this part.

"After I killed the wraith I lost control." She hesitated. How could she explain what had happened to her after that?

"It was as if another part of me reached the surface. A dangerous wild, primal and very furious part." To speak it out loud felt strange and the words weren't exactly what she felt, but she had no idea how to describe it better. But after a look in Ronon's eyes she realised that he knew exactly what she wanted to tell him and again she had the odd expression that they were linked somehow.

"My only longing was to kill as many wraith as possible and I didn't care if there was someone in my way or if I could die. I screamed and raged like a wounded animal." She swallowed. "I'm quite sure I didn't kill any of my people but I hurt many in my effort to kill wraith."

He remained still and listened to her confession with a calm and understanding expression.

"Our planet had a special safety for the stargate. The wraith weren't able to dial it and deterred us from dialling out. So it keeps its time till they captured the control over it. The time I run threw it, it was nearly in their hands and the only damn reason I escaped from my planet was that I was following a wraith through it."

"You got him?"

She wheezed. "Not only that!" She mumbled nearly voiceless. "I proper lacerated him! Like an animal!" She admitted. "After that I was so tiered I had difficulties to walk and after I found a safe place to stay I slept like a stone. I was blood soaked and had countless injuries but I didn't care. Till today I've no idea how long I've slept but when I woke up my only wish was to go out and kill something. And the primal part in me didn't care about what."

Now she could see understanding dawning in his eyes.

"So you decided to stay away from other people!"

Kaylena nodded. "Yeah, stay away and tame this part of me. That was the plan." She mumbled and saw the unasked question in his eyes.

"I think you can say I was successful."

"Why didn't you settle down amongst people after that?"

That question seemed to be important for him and she decided that it had something to do with his life as a runner. He never had the chance to live a normal life and she could understand that he couldn't fathom why she excluded herself for such a long time.

"I tried." She explained him. "But I've changed. I wasn't very welcome. I was too strange for them and I think that they feared me somehow. I couldn't hold it against them." She shrugged her shoulders while she looked aside. "They didn't want me so I left them alone."

None of them said something in the next minutes. She didn't want to and Ronon was sensitive enough to know that.

She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly felt something warm on her fingers. Her eyes shooed to them and she felt a warm emotion in her chest when she noticed that it was Ronon's hand. His try to comfort her was wordless and therefore endless more effective.

"Kaylena..." He started after a while and something about the way he pronounced her name made her look up.

"Kaylena, you..." Ronon tried again, apparently unsure how to start. He opened his moth again, ready to speak. "I..."

"_I have it! I know the coordinates!" _Rodney's voice suddenly rang through their ear-piece that they were forced to wear and they jumped apart.

She heard Ronon let out a deep growl while she sighed deeply.

Rodney really had a talent for the right moment.

* * *

"You are sure about it?" Sheppard asked again.

"I'm as sure as the last time you asked me!" McKay snapped back and looked annoyed like ever, when someone dared to challenge his statements.

Ronon fight the urge to choke him, like he did since the moment Rodney interrupt him in the gym.

It was the first time he and Kaylena had talked about personal things. Around Kaylena every gesture and every look felt much more personal and intimate but that was the first time they really talked. Not that he really had an imagination of what he wanted to say but that was not the point. He wasn't good in things like that and he wasn't sure if there would be a second time he felt right with talking to her about things.

"Look, this map is like a hint of breadcrumbs. After you reach one you must recalculate the coordinates for the next one. It's a very useful method to avoid the wrong people from finding what you've hidden!" McKay explained to Sheppard in his best teacher voice.

He looked in Teyla's direction, who raised her eyebrows to show him, that Rodney strained her patience too. He would like to change a quick glance with Kaylena too, but she was in the back of the jumper, together with Lorne and Campell.

It was due to her that they were in possession of the coordinates, so Weir had decided that she and her team had the right to be in the first group. And when he remembered right, it was one of the few things she requested before she agreed to share her secret.

"Right!" Sheppard stretched the word and it wasn't hard to figure out that the Colonel was as annoyed over McKay's behaviour as everybody else.

"Oh, don't use this tone. You've asked me and I answered so..." McKay started in a baneful tone but was interrupted by Sheppard.

"Yes, Rodney and I got it!" John crunched.

"Oh, yes, sure! That's…"

McKay started his counterattack while Ronon tried to ignore the little word fight in front of him, which didn't stop till they reached the last coordinates.

"Okay these are the last ones!" Sheppard mumbled and a second later the stars around them fainted and they got into hyperdrive again. This time a little moment longer than the last time.

The instant they fell back into normal time he heard the astonished gasp from everybody around him. Maybe he uttered a sound by himself.

"Wow, wow, wow!" Sheppard yelled and nearly crashed into a huge wreckage piece. Luckily the jumper followed every thought of the Colonel, which prevented them from hitting parts of the wrack.

A venture which wasn't so easy because there were wreckage pieces everywhere. But that didn't stop everyone beside John to stand up and gaze at what was right in front of them.

"Wow!" It was Rodney who found his voice at first and Ronon had to agree that it was the only word to describe the scene out there.

Ship wrecks of all size, ancient and wraith ones, where scattered everywhere around them. Some of them were nothing more than huge burnt out bodies others seemed fully intact till the jumper was near enough to recognise that there were giant holes in them or that they were broken in half. And all of this was surrounded by wreckage pieces in all forms and sizes.

"That must have been a really huge battle!" Teyla voice was quieter than normal and from the tone in her voice he could tell, she was really impressed.

"Looks like a space dump. How is it possible that nobody found it in all these years it's..."

"Humongous?" Lorne asked his CO who apparently struggled to find the right word.

"Yeah!" John nodded while he flow them slowly through the long lost battlefield.

"Maybe because they haven't got the coordinates!" MacKay rolled his eyes. "We are talking about space here not your Johnny Cash CD you lost in your apartment!"

"Hey, I would never, loose any of those CDs." Sheppard snapped back.

Ronon ignored the continuance of the little match as he felt Kaylena's presence beside him.

"They are all damaged!" She whispered. "I really hoped there were some of them left!"

"To tell the truth, there are some left!" McKay sniffed in his usual manner with which he want to show everybody that he was the only one who could see the obvious, like always.

"There is defiantly energy since out there. And that means it's possible that we find..."

"ZPMs!" Sheppard fulfil Rodney's sentence.

"Yes!" The scientist hissed apparently not happy, that the Colonel interrupted him. "And from the signs I...Wait!" He began to type wildly on the display. "You told us there were about fifty ships but I think there are more!"

"Okay! Let's check this!" Sheppard agreed.

A few minutes later the air was filled with astonished gasps again.

"I guess that's what you have in mind when you were talking about a _Super_ -_warship_?" Sheppard asked Kaylena with a husky voice.

They all were starring at the giant ancient warship which was drifting in front of them. All in all it looked like the Orion or the Aurora only that this one was a countless time bigger. Even a Hiveship was nothing compared this _Super-warship. _

The reason he could tell that for sure was that one of them was stranded directly beside the ancient ship. And for the first time in his life, the wraith ship looked very small.

* * *

_Two days later: _

"So what do we have?" Dr. Weir asked Rodney, who seemed extremely excited and had obviously problems to keep his hands still.

Kaylena let herself sunk a little deeper in her seat. This would take more time than she would like. As always.

For her, who had spent a long time on her own, it was hard to understand how people could waste so much time with talking. Especially Rodney's liking for long speeches was stressing her patience and she was always glad to recognise that she was not the only one with that problem. Truth to be told McKay had a talent to annoy the most people.

But on the other hand McKay's egomaniac manner were as much part of Atlantis for her as Sheppard's easy going or Teyla's gift to calm everybody.

"As far as we can tell there had been around sixty ancient ships and the same number of wraith ships. Maybe a little less. It is really amazing how many different kinds of ships have been in this battle. The number of ZPMs that had been needed to..."

"Rodney!" Sheppard stepped in who sensed that the scientist was on the best way to wander from the subject. "The main facts are enough!"

"Unlike you my statements are always based on facts!" He hissed annoyed.

"What do you mean unlike you?"

"How much ships are left?" Weir, who knew them good enough to not be bewildered by their childish behaviour, interrupted the men.

"Four!" Radeck answered and if looks had the power to kill, he would have been a dead man by now.

"I think the question was directed to me! So do me a favour and let me explain!" Rodney snapped and went on in his speech before anybody could bawl him for his rude behaviour.

"There are two ships left, which seem equal to a wraith dart, there is only room for one person. They are in a perfect state but we haven't figured out yet, where they got their energy from. Maybe they had been linked to one of the bigger ships or had an energy reservoir."

"You mean something like a rechargeable battery?" Sheppard asked apparently interested in the idea.

McKay was going to answer but this time Kaylena interrupted him because she knew the answer.

"McKay is right with both thoughts." Her statement brought her the attention of everyone in the room. A feeling she didn't like. Being the middle everyone's focus had never been something she felt comfortable with.

"Oh well..." Rodney stuttered surprised about her agreement.

"The _Hunters _were linked to the _Super –warships _as an agile combat unit. They were coordinated from the bridge of their _Mothership _but in case that the _Mothership _would be damaged or destroyed my ancestors created a mini energy cell which is loaded during the time the _Hunter _is linked with the _Mothership_. Once they are separated, the energy cell had only enough power to bridge the time till another ship took over the roll as the _Mothership _or give them time to land."

"You knew all this and didn't think it could be useful to tell us about?" Rodney flared up.

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and raised an eyebrow instead. "You haven't asked and didn't seem interested in my opinion as we found the ships." She reminded him and the look on his face showed her that he remembered what she meant.

After they found out that there were indeed some ships left, McKay seemed to fall in overdrive. He was busy with some tests and checking's and was even ruder than normal when someone dared to interrupted his doings.

"Well if I knew it had been something useful and not some of these nutty questions the others liked to asked I..."

"Rodney!" Elizabeth hissed at him. "So what else have we got?"

He paused a moment apparently not sure if they were worth it to go on and she switched a quick glance with Ronon who was looking at her with a curious expression. She couldn't really fathom the glance in his eyes and it vanished the moment he recognised she was watching him. Her eyebrows barley left their position as she raised them but it was enough for him to notice.

He lightly lifted his lips in one of his _public _smiles most people didn't seem to recognise. But this time it wasn't the answer she was waiting for. Her brow rose a little higher but obviously he wasn't willing to let her know because he only widen his smile a little.

"May I have the attention of anybody in here? If my report is boring you..."

"McKay!" Sheppard hissed but was nearly drowned by Ronon's annoyed growl, while she shot him a deadly glance.

"What? I only..."

The loud sigh from everybody was happily enough to quieten him and go on with the main facts.

"As I said there is also one ship of the _Orion-class._" He looked in her direction as if he expected her to gain said him. But she didn't. Lorne and Ryan already told her about the _Orion_ and the _Aurora_ the moment they found the ship out there.

"We couldn't find a ZPM but the good news is that the ship has nearly a full drone magazine. It seems like they had remove the ZPM for some reasons we can not reconstruct." Rodney informed them. "It has several damages but it should be possible to repair it."

"How long will it take till it's ready for action?" Sheppard asked.

"Oh, this is so typical! I tell you that I will be able to make gold out of nothing and the only thing you're interested in is when you can play with it."

"Yes Rodney, cause that's the most important thing about these ships. Don't you think?" Sheppard growled annoyed.

"I think..."

"Enough!" Weir interrupted the two and the look on her face showed pretty well that she wasn't in the mood for arguments. "What's with the last ship?"

That kept McKay's attention and from one minute to the other he was excited again.

"That is far the best thing that could happen to us. Now we are in possession of a nearly intact _Super –warship."_

"Nearly intact?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, the damages aren't that bad. Nothing we can't deal with but the main problem is the energy supply. This ship needs four ZPMs to be at full power. Maybe three are enough to load up the main systems. But we have only two! The other ones are dead!"

"Didn't you tell us ZPMs were mini universes and could never die?" Sheppard asked and she wasn't sure if he really was interested in the answer or only in teasing McKay.

"If you would have listen you to me you would have understand that the question is how fast you spend the energy and depending on that it needs different periods of time to load it up again. So in the strict sense it's not dead. Some day it will be useful again but at the moment it's nothing more than an empty battery. Clear?" The scientist sighed as if this was knowledge most people would be born with.

"So, we have ships but can't use them because we have not enough ZPMs?" It was the first time Lorne said something but his question seemed to be the linchpin of this whole report.

"Well...yes!" Rodney admitted.

"You mean you haven't got any ZPMs here?" She asked astonished.

"No. If we had we would have fewer problems." John told her.

"There were only a few ZPMs left on Atlantis and most of the ZPMs we found off-site were used for important issues, so were not able to remove them." Dr. Weir explained them.

She frowned and switched a quick look with Ronon and after this with Teyla.

"What do you have in mind?" Teyla asked with a warm and comforting voice.

"I'm only wondering."

"About what?" Ronon dug deeper.

"There are many planets that used ZPMs. I think some of them didn't even know what they were in possession of." She told them and because of the uncomfortable feeling she could tell that she was the middle of the room again.

"You know where we could find ZPMs?" Rodney asked her and she was sure she had never heard him speak so friendly and she nearly started to laugh.

"Well, I've one or two in mind." She agreed but Ronon sensed her hesitation.

"What's wrong with these planets?" His guttural voice filled the air and suppressed the urge to bite her bottom lip as she remembered one of the planets very well.

"Well, one of them is a peaceful planet. Or it was the last time I was there. They have definitly more than one ZPM but the problem is that I don't remember the gate address. Give me some time and I will brood over it."

She could sense that Rodney and Ronon weren't pleased with her answer whether based on different reasons.

"What's with the other planet?" Ronon asked again and she felt a little uncomfortable with it. It wasn't because she didn't know the coordinates of this one but she wasn't sure how they could get in possession of their ZPM. Not that it would bother her when they would have to steal it from them or if the wraith would raze it to the ground. But sure as hell it wouldn't be an easy undertaking.

"The planet is called _Xizor_...!" Before she could go on Ronon's deep growl cut her of and made most of the others flinch.

"Who brought you _there_?" He asked with nearly unhidden rage and it sunk in to her that he had heard about this planet. Or worse –had been there on his own. Her eyes went wide as she fathom what he was thinking and she hurried up to explain him.

"No! No, nobody brought me there. Not the way you thought! I was there during my time in the army." She could nearly smell his rage fading away but for some odd reason his reaction let her feel comfortable.

"Would it hurt you if you explained what you are talking about?" Rodney snapped apparently not happy that he had no idea what forced this kind of reaction out of Ronon.

"Yes please!" Teyla tried to alley Rodney's little outburst.

"It's a slave planet!" She explained.

"No it's worse than that." Ronon snarled and she asked herself what had happened that he was so furious about this planet.

"What brought you to visit that planet if it's so evil?" Lorne asked her and she offered him a half smile.

"Some of the slavers caught some of our people. Mostly women but they got a bad break and we got wind of it. The commanders of our army decided to make an example out of it. Half of our army went out for a little sight seeing tour and said hello." She told them with a wicked smile.

"You mean to cultivate friendly relationships with neighbours and stuff like that?" Sheppard asked amused.

"Yeah, you can say that. " She nodded.

"And what happened?" Teyla asked further.

"I think they decided that we meant business. So they gave us our people and we left!" She knew the only reason nobody was asking about the other slaves they had left behind was the look in her eyes. It told them anything they needed to know: They had remained where they were because it wasn't possible to do something. She had been more than only a little bit pissed when she realised that they would only be able to rescue her own people. Nobody deserved the life the slaves on Xizor were forced to endure.

"And where is the ZPM?" Rodney asked, all around business.

"It was in the bath temple."

"Bath temple?" Sheppard looked rather interested but another deep growl from Ronon's sight seemed to remind him that they were talking about a slave planet.

"We cannot be sure if it's still there, right?" Lorne asked and she nodded.

"No, someone should look after it before we make a plan how to get hands on it."

"That's not so easy. Only women are allowed to enter the temple and no sane woman would willingly go there!" She told them. "Once you are in, there is only one way out and this one leads you right to the auction." From the expressions on their faces she could tell that they weren't taken by this picture.

"Okay but we can go there with an energy detector. If there still is a ZPM we would be able to locate it, wouldn't we?" Lorne asked and looked over at Rodney who seemed a little surprised about the fact that the Major had mention a good thought.

"Yes, of course!" He agreed but before he could go further Sheppard stepped in.

"I think it's the best if you" He looked at Lorne "and Campell make a little trip to this planet and find out if the ZPM is still there." She didn't miss the quick glance he made in Weirs direction and after the leader of Atlantis nodded he went on. "Keep your eyes and ears open. The more information we get, the better we can prepare if this information turns out to be true." His head snapped to her and a sorry half grin spread around his lips. "Not that I don't believe you, but I have to be sure before we start something bigger."

"I would do the same!" She nodded in agreement. Of course she was not angry about him. What kind of military leader would he be if he wouldn't keep a second thought about things?

"Sounds like a plan!" Sheppard agreed and even Weir nodded, who seemed pleased over this option. After all there was a great difference between stealing from slavers or holy priests.

But Kaylena could sense the aversion on Ronon's face and she snapped at him before he could open his mouth and dare to forbid her to enter this planet again.

"Don't even think about it." She hissed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Most of the others looked rather unsure what this was about, but it didn't slip her attention that Sheppard and Teyla were exchanging amused looks.

"What's about the other ship?" Radeck suddenly asked and the sudden change of the subject nearly forced her to sigh with relief.

"Which other ship? You were talking about four ships not five!" Weir dropped in.

"Yes, four ancient ships." Sheppard nodded. "But there's still the wraith ship!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, apart from some superficial damages it's fully intact!" Rodney explained and from the expression on his face it was easy to understand which amount of possibilities that could include.

"Beat the enemy with his own weapons?" Sheppard asked and slowly but steady a satisfied grin appeared on her lips.

TBC

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it


	10. Courting rituals

Sorry it took me so long to update :-)

I hope you enjoy it ...

* * *

CHAPTER TEN: COURTING RITUALS

_Two weeks later: _

Evan and Ryan had been back from Xizor since this afternoon but they didn't really have a chance to talk apart from the report. So they decided to have dinner together. Ronon would be with them and Kaylena was glad about that.

After the first report where she had mentioned Xizor there had been an unspoken argument between them. Ronon knew exactly that she would demand to be part of the team which would try to lay hands on the ZPM. She knew he didn't like the thought of her getting in trouble like this and while she was angry about his voiceless try to domineer her, on the other hand she was touched that he obviously carded for her. There was no need for him to tell her. One look and she knew he was anxious about her well-being and that made it hard to be angry with him.

She still had no idea how it was possible to feel this close to a person she barely knew for three months now. But she couldn't remember another person she had ever been linked to like it was with him. The feeling was overwhelming and frightening at the same time and a part, deep inside her, was aware that the only reason she felt frightened was because she feared to lose this closeness. And he felt the same, she was sure about it.

That was the reason he was worried. He was afraid of loosing it and unfortunately for his for the people in his immediate vicinity fear caused him to the same reaction as her: anger.

They both had the day off and were spending it in the gym which wasn't a surprise to most people. She trained with Ally while he was busy with beating some marines. The shy little doctor was a natural even though she kept denying that fact. But Kaylena was even more proud of her that she wasn't blushing anymore, anytime one of the marines gave a comment on her performance. Most of them were even compliments. Rough ones of course, the petite woman had to get used to the first times but the more they trained the more confident she became. And in the end she ignored them.

Everyone except Lorne of course. It wasn't hard to figure out that Ally had a crush on him and Kaylena was positive that they would make a nice couple. Not that she ever mentioned something like that. But she liked Ally and it saddened her that she had not enough self-confidence to see herself as a worthy match for him.

Lorne of course didn't notice anything but she wouldn't blame him. The time they spend together she figured out that he was too much focused on his work to notice anything beside that. Even if it was so obvious.

In the end she and Ronon where sparring together much to the enthusiasm of the marines and even Ally liked to watch those fights. For Ronon and her it was the best way to make everything okay again.

And now two weeks later it was as if nothing happened at all, even though he got a little grumpy when two of the marines asked her if she would teach them too. She ignored his overprotective manner and told Mitchell and O'Malley that she would ask Weir if it would be okay. Even though she wasn't so sure if _Dijiri _was the right thing for those two. But she could think about that later. The feeling of just sitting together and talking about nothing special was too nice as to worry about anything else at the moment.

"So it's still there!"

"Yeah, from what we can tell from the detector it must still be there. Of course it was not possible to have a look at it." Lorne nodded.

"Of course!" She grinned half amused. She was sure none of the two would have complained to have a look at the inner of the bath temple. It was part of the palace and the only place on the whole planet only women were allowed to enter.

It was one of the most amazing things she ever had lay eyes on unfortunately it was no good sign for a woman to be in there. When the slavers decided a woman was worth to be sold for the higher class she was brought there, cleaned, prepared and sold on an auction later.

A woman of her people had been unlucky to be pretty enough to be brought there, so her company had walked in there and hauled her out. Much to the enjoyment of her male companions.

"You know that it will not be easy to get it. The plan is more than a little thin." Ryan told her again and she rolled her eyes. Since they returned from Xizor Evan and Ryan totally agreed with Ronon and Kaylena felt like quarrelling with her brothers.

Of course they were right. The plan was thin and the chance to get the ZPM without getting injured or worse was low but on the other side they hadn't much of a choice if they wanted it. And in her opinion a fully functional _Super –warship _was worth a lot of trouble.

"The greatest problem will be to get in there. But I think for Teyla and Laura it will be possible without any problems."

She noticed the quick glance the three man exchanged and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Remember our little talk on Laijuna?" Lorne asked her obviously amused. Her face must show that she remembered exactly what he meant, which forced Ryan to chuckle and Ronon to raise an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"But I still don't like the plan! It's too risky. You will not be able to hide any weapons. There is no backup possible and you can't calculate the troubles you may get in after you get a hold of the ZPM." Evan tried it again.

"You sound like my brother!" She told him and he grinned.

"And I guess you never listened to what he told you!" That was a statement not a question.

"Of course I listened but that doesn't mean that I did what he wanted!"

"Yeah, I can imagine it! Just like my little sister!" Lorne agreed and rolled his eyes.

"You've got a sister?" He nodded. "Then why do you even try?" She teased him. "You should know better than that!"

"You should never abandon hope! Even if it's about woman." He teased back.

"Right!" Ryan nodded. "But I guess there's nothing that could keep you from doing what you want. So..." He stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "Look after yourself! Don't be careless Kaylena, okay?"

Again she felt a little bit overwhelmed. So much worry only because of her. Suddenly her chest felt very tight and her throat unpleasantly dry while she tried to force herself to nod.

"Promise!" She choked and hoped that her voice wasn't so hoarse as it sounded in her ears.

Three months. Three little months and she was vulnerable again. More than ever before in her life because now she knew what would happen if she would loose her bond to the civil world. Loose the care, the warmth and the belonging. She wasn't sure if she could survive it again. If she even wanted it.

She asked herself if Ronon would could stand to lose it again. Her eyes sought his and the warm green instantly was filled with worry.

Worry. Worry. Worry. Everywhere she looked.

She dropped her gaze to the ground but found her answer. He would be able even if it was only for revenge. He was too strong to give up easily and weakness was nothing he would ever allow himself.

She really hoped she could say the same about herself. But a light rhythmic sequence of strikes against her chest reminded her of her primal part. As long as Mr. Furious was with her she would survive. Death would be the only thing to stop her –and that was nothing that would come easily to her. Not without a fight.

"Don't worry. I've got no intention to spend my life as a slave for some stupid little man!" She told her team members which forced Ryan to laugh.

"Why is it that I have difficulties to imagine you as a nice obedient, well-behaved slave? Guess after a while they would give you money in order that you leave them."

"Aww!" She slapped him over the table which forced the other two to chuckle.

"To be serious again!" Lorne started. "It's beyond comprehension for me how men could treat women like that."

"Guess that has something to do with the values you were taught when you are young. I'm sure the way you treat women on earth is different to the way that was normal on Sateda or on my planet!" She shrugged her shoulder but from the light stiffness in Ronons jaw she could tell that she was right. At least that there was a difference between Satedan and Earth treatments regarding women.

"Guess we already found out some of them!" Ryan smirked and she chuckled in agreement.

"And speaking about that..." Lorne grinned. " I've heard you have many invitations for the party the Colonel arranged to celebrate the discovery of the ancient ships."

Ronon let out a growl that only raised her confusion. "Yes, some of the marines asked me." She hesitated. "Is that one of these different things, too? I mean the Colonel already informed me that I'm also invited, so why are they asking me over and over again?"

Something about her question seemed to be very funny since Ryan and Evan burst out into laughter. Her eyes flicked round to Ronon who apparently had difficulties to suppress a satisfied grin.

She frowned. "Explanation?"

"They didn't want to invite you to the party. They were asking if you would go _with _them!" Lorne explained all the while biting his lip. "You know the _Laijuna –thing. _Civil woman and warrior woman have the same position. Remember?"

"You mean they were courting?" She asked puzzled.

"Yes!" Her team members answered in a choir.

"Oh!" She brought out. "How the hell should I have known that?" She snapped after the two didn't stop laughing. Again she shot Ronon a glance but he leaned back relaxed against his chair and watched the little talk, apparently with interest.

"After number fifty –three or so, you should have sensed something like that!" Ryan teased her.

"Yes, or the fact that they definitely only asked you when no one else was around!" Lorne agreed grinning and risked a quick glance to Ronons side.

"Very funny." Kaylena crossed her arms in annoyance and felt the urge to sulk but suddenly she remembered something.

"And what's with you?" She asked and raised her brows.

"Me?" Lorne asked puzzled.

"Yes? Who is the girl you invited to the party?"

"I haven't invited anybody."

"Why not?" She asked and from Ronon´s slight movements she could tell that he sensed that there was more behind her question.

The Major shrugged obviously searching for a way to sneak out of the subject.

"Is there nobody who could fulfil your requirements or are you waiting for a special invitation?" She teased him and ignored Ronons questioning glance.

This time Evan raised his brows and looked at her with a half-smile.

"Who do you have in mind?" He asked and Ryan looked amused from one to the other.

This time she shrugged her shoulders. "I thought that maybe you were interested in Ally. You watch her training ever you find time." She told him innocently.

Evan suddenly choked his drink. "What?"

"Ally. Dr. Biggelow!! She explained and tried to hide her smile.

" I know who you are talking about, it's only..."

She didn't let him finish. "I think you would fit perfectly and you should invite her to the party if that's the way earth men court a woman."

Evan looked at her as if she developed a second head, while the other two were chuckling.

"What?" The Major repeated.

"You should court her!" She remained stubborn which only forced Ryan and Ronon to went on with laughing.

"I don't think that she...I mean I don't think that that would be a good idea!" It was obvious that she hit him unexpected.

"Why not? She's nice, clever, pretty, in the foreseeable future she will be an excellent fighter, too and I think she likes you. What else do you expect?"

"Uhm..." Lorne opened and shut his mouth a few times but nothing sane came out.

"So?"

Evan let out a protesting moan while she gave him one of her brightest smiles.

"I will think about it!" He agreed.

"Good! Don't think too long about it. Two of the marines asked her today."

Of course that kept his attention exactly the way she planned but before she had a chance to dig deeper, Ryan asked her.

"So how does courting on Lotharia work?"

"It was a long progress. Mating shouldn't be a simple thing. In the end it is something that should exist you whole live!"

"You mean courting is automatically linked to life-bonding?" Ryan asked with a shade of horror in his voice.

She frowned. "Of course. Why should a man court a woman if not for a shared future?" She asked puzzled.

"On earth they have a different view." Ronon, who seemed to be the only one to truly understand her puzzlement, told her.

"To be together with someone doesn't intent to marry him or her in the end." Lorne explained to her.

"So you have warrior relationships instead of real ones, without being forced to it?" Her puzzlement grew. Ronons frown reminded her that he hadn't been present when they had this talk on the planet, and so she explained to him the Lotharian custom.

"Much the same on Sateda. You weren't forced to choose when you were sixteen but once a woman decided to join the army she usually decided against family." Ronon nodded.

"So men court a civil woman and behave exactly like around warrior women if they are interested?" Ryan asked and did his best to avoid Ronons glance.

"Courting is a ritual thing. If a man's interested in a woman he presented her a bracelet."

"A bracelet?" Evan and Lorne both seemed stunned.

"Yes. A self-made bracelet or one he got from his mother. It had to be something special." She explained. "If the woman accepted the present she would wear it around her left wrist. That would give the man the permission to court her and the knowledge that she is interested in his efforts."

On this point she could already sense that this custom seemed strange for them. That meant for Lorne and Campell. Ronon looked quiet comfortable with it and she was sure, courting on Sateda hadn't been much different.

"What does that permission include?" Ryan asked further.

She frowned and looked over at Ronon.

"He meant, what's the man allowed to do at this point of the relationship?" He translated for her and forced her to smile. It was just to nice to have someone around who understood without words.

"Everything the woman is comfortable with." She shrugged her shoulder but somehow the answer seemed to please the two.

"On the left wrist a woman can wear as many bracelets as men offered her. It only depends on her will to accept them."

"Wow. Wow. Wow. What do you mean _as many _bracelets_ as men offer her_? You mean she can be with several men at the same time?" Ryan snapped apparently shocked.

"I mean she can allow as many men to count her as she likes, when they are interested in her. At this point there is no real relationship. Nothing steady."

Her answer didn't seem to ease them and she couldn't sense their problem unlike Ronon.

"That's the same as a date!" He growled and even though she had no plan what a _date _was Evan and Ryan seemed to be familiar with this term so she sensed it was something from earth.

"A date is when a man and a woman meet to become acquainted to each other. To find out if they would fit!" Lorne as ever good in sensing her problems with earth words, explained it to her.

"Yes. That's much the same." She nodded. "But when a woman decided to wear a bracelet on her right wrist she had made her decision. It would be the only bracelet she would wear and gave the man permission to plead the woman's family for the tryouts."

"What tryouts?" Ronon asked interested while the other two looked stunned again.

"That depends. The family decided what the tryouts will be about, but the meaning behind it, is that the man shows the family that he is able to protect and support her. Only if he passes it he will be allowed to propose a marriage."

"Wow!" Ryan gasped.

"Yes. Sounds complex." Evan agreed.

"Sounds sane!" Ronon growled and shrug his shoulders.

Both earth men looked at him with a deep frown but seemed to settle for the fact that they came from different galaxies.

"So okay. That's the traditional form of courting. What's with the warrior thing?" This time it was Lorne who asked and from the expression on his face she could tell that he had troubles to fathom an answer to that question.

"You asked!" She shrugged her shoulder. What else did he expect?

"You ask!" Ryan repeat apparently a little bit shocked about the simplicity.

"Yes, it is not intended to be something constant so there's no need for bonding rituals."

"Guess it's better to tell the others only about the long version." Ryan mumbled.

"Yeah!" Lorne agreed and the way he stretched the word she sensed that she missed again something important. A little helpless she was searching for the answer in Ronons eyes but for some reason he was grumpy again. She clearly could feel her jaw stiffen and her mood became a little bit pissed.

"What?" She snapped not even trying to hide that she hated not to be in the picture of everything.

Lorne's hands raised quickly in the air. "Nothing. Really. Guess that only sounds a little extreme for us, you know. Why's there no...uhm...middle way?"

The look in her eyes seemed answer enough. Again she had no plan what they were talking about.

"What would be so bad about a simple date? Just having a good time and see if it would work. You know find out if you would like to meet someone else more often?" Ryan asked. "I mean without any rituals, family or complex rules?"

"Like on earth?"

"Well, yes!" Lorne nodded.

"I never said it would be bad. But you asked me about the Lotharian way. And I told you. Guess it will take its time till I get used to all this earth things."

"Yes, probably."

She nodded and raised from her chair which brought her questioning glances and she signed.

"It's time for a little talk with Kaaron."

"So he will live with Teylas people?" Evan asked and she nodded in agreement.

"Yes. That will be the best for him."

"He will not be pleased!" Ryan chuckled and she stiffened against her will.

"That's not the point. It's too dangerous to be at my side. He deserves better than that. I hope that he will understand that. He can't stay close." Suddenly she felt the urge to explain herself which made her angry. She gripped her trey and got fully up, noticing the others did the same.

"I'm not ready for close!" She mumbled nearly voiceless before she got herself under control again.

She cleared her throat and tried to smile. "See you later!"

"Yes, sure!" Evan nodded while Ronon gave her one of his usual goodbye growls.

"Try not to break too many hearts on your way to your quarters!" She heard Ryan's voice behind and rolled her eyes.

* * *

_1 day later: _

"Easy buddy!" Apparently Sheppard felt forced to repeat this phrase what was the real reason for his strained patience.

The party was at its maximum and like every of Sheppards parties it looked like everyone who wasn't at duty was here. And at the moment everyone was watching Kaylena. Regardless if man or woman it seemed.

She was dancing and from the looks on the most faces it seemed they had never seen someone dancing before. At least not like this.

A few minutes ago they had started to play some kind of very rhythmical music and one of the Marines –Mitchell - asked Kaylena if she wanted to dance.

Ronon wasn't sure what surprised him more. The fact that she said yes or that she could dance like that. Maybe the most surprising thing was Mitchell.

"His mother is from Brazil!" Sheppard suddenly told him, as that would explain everything. He raised a brow and John seemed to remember that he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Brazil. That's a country on earth. The people there like to say that they have rhythm in their blood."

"It looks like the saying is right! Kaylena seems to have that blood too." Teyla nodded and watched the dance floor with interest. Apart from Kaylena and Mitchell there were few other pairs but although they were dancing nearly the same it looked rather different.

"The doc isn't that bad, too!" The surprised tone in Sheppards voice forced him to search for the little redheaded woman. As he found her he silently agreed with his friend. The shy doctor was full of surprises and was holding herself remarkable well. But pitifully her dance partner couldn't keep up with her.

"Who would have guessed she's hot blooded like that?" John asked obviously impressed.

"John!" Teyla bawled him out.

"What? That was a compliment!"

His eyes flicked to the side and he watched Lorne muttering some silent curses. Unlike most other men he wasn't watching Kaylena. His interest was fully taken by the petite doctor he missed to asked to go out with him at the right time and now she was with someone else.

Ronon felt it difficult to show sympathy for Lorne. If he hadn't waited for so long or at least listened to Kaylenas words the situation would have been different for him, tonight.

He turned his attention back to Kaylena and watched fascinated. He wasn't jealous even though it was obvious John and some others kept thinking that. He couldn't dance like that –well, he couldn't dance at all and felt no urge to learn it.

Besides that he was sure watching was much better. He was clear about the fact that the others were taken by the way she looked but that was not what kept his attention.

Her outfit looked much like her sparring clothes apart from the fact that the flowing material seemed thinner and smoother. She wore a great amount of necklaces and bracelets which matched the rest of her outfit and he suspected that Teyla had taken a hand in her dressing.

Her hair was open and seemed to have its own life, it never stopped moving.

All in all she looked rather stunning but he didn't miss the fact that she still was dressed to fight. The others seemed to oversee that just like the fact that she was armed. Likely with more weapons than most people here would bear on a mission.

She was still dangerous and that was what forced him to grin.

She was dancing like she was fighting –with an unleashed energy radiating through every pore of her body. There was only one difference. This time joy was the source of her energy not fury.

Again he felt something in him reaching out for what, a part of him recognised at one of his own kind.

"Uhm, you should try the chicken wings. They are really good!" McKay's voice reached his ear. As Ronon looked to the side he saw the scientist licking his fingers and making smacking sounds. Still munching he caught the next piece from his plate.

"Hey, these are for everyone. Not only for you!" Sheppard hissed.

"Oh, yeah. Sure!" He got up. "I'm the one who's working all the time, nearly starving, while you have a good time and now you want to deny me the little bit of food I get? It's not even enough to feel full!" He protested and dipped the next wing in some sort of sauce before he plugged it in his mouth.

"You never have enough, Rodney!" John snapped back grimly eying McKay's stacked up plate.

"I have a high need of energy!" He shot back.

Sheppard rolled his eyes while Teyla showed one of her slight smiles that let him know, that she was amused.

"Is _that_ Mrs. _Always-wild-and-fury_?" Rodney nearly choked on his food as he stared wildly at Kaylena who was twirling around.

"Rodney!" Teyla bawled him but the scientist didn't seemed impressed by it. He cleared his throat and shook his head before he dipped his finger food in sauce and shoved it in his mouth.

"Who would have guessed that Mrs. Caveman could dance like Alibaba's sister!" He smacked full mouthed.

"McKay!" John groaned.

"Who's Alibaba?" Ronon wanted to know and fixed McKay with a glance.

"That's a character from a fairy-tale. That's not the point. What Rodney meant is..." Sheppard stumbled.

"He meant she can dance like some oriental woman back on earth."

That was Lorne's voice and he frowned. The Major had crossed his arms and looked at them. With a quick glance Ronon sensed the reason for his new attention. The little doctor wasn't dancing any longer. Now she was talking to some female marines and apparently Lorne felt save enough to look in another direction for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever!" McKay muttered and went on. "I should visit the buffet before everything is gone!" With that the scientist left them alone.

"Didn't you say they dance like these people with rhythm in blood?" He asked Sheppard who was muttering at Rodney's back.

He turned his eyes back to his friend, waiting for an answer .

"Yeah, well..." Again Sheppard seemed to have difficulties to explain. In the end he shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like a mix of both. Who cares? Looks good!"

Suddenly the music changed. The new song was calm and slow which forced Lorne curiously to look grumpy. But with a look to the dance floor he sensed the problem.

Ally was dancing with her date again. This time much closer.

Ronon was sure that he would never understand earth people. He knew no other people who were so good in making easy things very difficult.

He wasn't sure if the Major was pissed cause he really wished he had been able to come along with her here or if he only had a hurt ego. In the end Ronon decided Lorne liked her. Lorne wasn't the type for the other stuff.

It seemed that he saw the doctor in another light since Kaylena confronted him with these things. But maybe Kaylenas words were the final inducement he had needed.

He was thinking about telling Lorne that he should go over there, kick the other man away and dance with that woman. If Teyla was right and he hadn't doubts about that, she wouldn't complain about that. But a mass of swinging hair, which disappeared through a door kept his attention. His eyes scanned the room and he found Mitchell standing between some other marines who were thumping his back. But instead of the satisfied expression, he had expected to see on his face, Mitchell looked...lugubrious?

"I'm not sure if she's good for my men!" He heard Sheppards voice beside him and looked at him with a questioning glance.

"Half of them are scared of her and the other half..."

"Likes her!" Teyla added quickly before John could say something wrong.

"Yeah! I'm not sure what's worse."

"May I have a dance?" The new voice kept the attention of everybody. The man who had asked Teyla forced the petite Athosean to stiffen immediately. Ronon suppressed a chuckle as he looked at the small scientist –a physicist if he was right. They all know that he had a crush on Teyla and that the Athosean wasn't thrilled about it.

Countless of marines had tried to come a little bit closer to Teyla but for some reason this one was the only one who managed to strain her patience, even though he was sure the courting of the others had been rougher.

Teyla fired a deadly glance in his direction but was rescued by John before she could say something on her own.

"Sorry buddy. The next dance is mine!" The Colonel told the scientist. "But..." The man started while Sheppard pushed Teyla slowly but steadily in the direction of the dance floor.

"But...!" The man repeated and looked at Ronon. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around to leave.

* * *

He didn't need to search. He knew exactly where she would be.

Kaylena was on one of the balconies. The one they both usually visited when they spent some time together. Normally they only sat beside each other, watching the ocean and enjoy each others presence. Like him Kaylena was always comfortable with being silent. She wasn't like the earth people who felt the obsessive need of incessant chatter all the time.

Kaylena was standing at the balustrade and the way she turned her head slightly to the side showed him, that she recognised his presence. She didn't tell him to go away so he took that as a invitation to stay. He stepped beside her and gazed over the ocean. Like always the sight was overwhelming and calming at the same time.

For a short moment he closed his eyes to sharpen his other senses. The calming sound of the waves and her familiar scent surrounded him immediately and he didn't feel the urge to open his eyes all too quick.

He felt himself relaxing and remained like this till he suddenly heard her quiet voice.

"It was a little too much!" She told him as if she felt the urge to justify herself for leaving the party. He opened his eyes and turned to her to tell her that there was no need for apologies. Maybe to admit that he felt quiet happy about the fact that they were sharing a moment on this balcony instead of being at that party. But the sudden lump in his throat made it impossible and she went on.

"The dancing inspired some long lost memories and..." She stopped herself and he heard her made a light sign. "You know all this people with their closeness and their endless chat. I'm not used to it anymore–it still makes me nervous and uncomfortable."

"Want me to go?" He asked with a deep growl and stiffened against his will.

"No!" She added quickly whilst turning around and giving him a slight smile. "You are always welcome."

Ronon felt himself relaxing again and returned her smile. He could feel it getting warmer and brighter than any other smile in quite a time, as she leaned slightly against him with her head on his shoulder.

"You too!" He told her, pulled her a little closer and closed his eyes again. This was definitely better than any of Sheppards parties.

TBC


	11. Xizor

A/N: Sorry it took me so long but I had exams and was really busy.

Enjoy

DISCLAIMER: look chapter one

* * *

CHAPTER ELEVEN: XIZOR

"Maybe it's better you do this!" Sheppard cleared his throat and handed Ronon a pair of handcuffs while his eyes flicked round to Kaylena who was standing at the stairs. Her face didn't betray any of her emotions, except for her eyes which seemed to burn with be liquid fire. She was definitely not in the mood for Sheppard's easy going attitude towards their mission.

Of course she knew better than anyone else that it wouldn't be funny for her to be part of this mission.

He knew exactly that she didn't like the dress Teyla had put her in. That she didn't like the way Ally had curled her hair and she defiantly didn't like the fact that she wasn't allowed to bear any weapons.

But she knew that this was the only way to get hands on the ZPM, which they needed so badly for their new ships, so she would handle her anger about the circumstances.

Ronon stepped towards her while Sheppard walked over to Teyla and Cadman who were dressed the same way like Kaylena and didn't look happy either.

For a moment they both looked at each other without saying a single word. In the end he was the one who spoke first.

"Do you trust me?"

For a moment the fury in her eyes turned into something else and she nodded without hesitation. Warm relief washed through his body but he pushed that aside and returned the nod while he showed her the handcuffs.

Her eyes never left his as she thrust out her hands. With an audible click the handcuffs closed and for a moment he saw her standing chained up at the stone wall again, bleeding all over her body, with a mix of pain, fury and hope in her eyes. He wouldn't allow happening something like that ever again.

"I will...!" _Protect you. _He wanted to say but she interrupted him with a slight smile.

"I know!" And with that they both returned to the others who looked ready to leave.

"Everything clear?" Sheppard asked, while he fumbled with an uncomfortable expression with the neckline of the dark green tunica, Teyla handed him. Compared with the casual grey trousers and the brown leather boots he usually wore, he looked rather unfamiliar. But his outfit would back up his chandler story whereas his military clothes would only raise suspicions.

As everybody nodded he went on. "Lorne and Campell will wait in the cloaked jumper as backup. If everything goes according to plan t they won't be needed. So let's go!"

The Colonel gave Dr. Weir a small nod who gave the signal to dial the gate and he gripped his gun which brought him an odd look from Sheppard.

"Better safe than sorry." He growled but he wasn't sure if that would be enough to prevent trouble.

They decided that it would be the best if Sheppard played the chandler who was willing to sell pretty women on the high bazaar while he would play the guard, which worked well for him. Ronon wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger this time but he feared that Sheppard underestimated the people on Xizor. He and Kaylena had tried to explain him but he wasn't sure if John understood the whole thing. But Ronon was clear about the fact that he would understand the moment he set foot on this planet.

Xizor was a planet with easy rules: Want, take, have. The more possessions a man could label his own, the more power he had and that was the only thing that mattered.

He had stranded there once by accident during his runner time but had left quickly. He hadn't been in the position to do something and he knew himself good enough to know that he had done something stupid if he had remained.

He didn't like men who used to beat their woman and sure as hell he didn't like what he had seen on this planet.

If anyone dared to touch one of the three women he would kill him by instant and he gave a damn about whatever Sheppard told him.

Luckily for them, Lorne and Campell found out that the law was on their sides. The women were their possessions until the moment they were sold and till then they had the right to protect them. In every possible way.

He let out a deep snarl and followed the others through the gate close to Kaylena who was starring grimly at his gun. Suddenly he couldn't stop himself from grinning as he let his eyes roam over her.

"How many?" He asked her in a low voice so that the others couldn't hear him.

"How many do you count?" She asked, apparently not surprised that he found out about her hidden weapons.

"Only one!" He answered truthfully but he was sure that there were more.

"Good!" She stretched the word and a small grin covered her moth.

Now he was sure that they wouldn't pass through that without troubles. His grin widened. At least it would not be boring.

* * *

"Keep your temper!" Laura whispered while the woman, who received them at the bath temple's anteroom lead them in the main temple.

"Laura is right, Kaylena." She heard Teyla's voice on her other side while her fingers gripped her arm lightly.

Kaylena took a deep breath and freed her arm from Teyla's fingers. Swallowing her fury she pressed her lips together and nodded. The women were right but that didn't raise her mood. Not a bit.

"Listen to your friends!"

Her head snapped up and she fixed her gaze on the woman who had introduced herself as Seraphina. Golden skin, black hair and dark eyes combined with a perfect body in nearly non existing clothes- the perfect slave. Only her voice didn't fit in the picture. Something was wrong with it but she couldn't fathom what it was.

"They will pay a good prize for you!" Seraphina told her and she felt Teylas hand on her arm again. Apparently the Athosean didn't trust her temper and maybe she was right.

"The men like spirited woman like you." The dark haired slave smiled sweetly at her and suddenly she recognised what was wrong with her voice. She didn't sound fearful, shy or broken -only sneaky.

"They like beautiful hot blooded woman like you, with a wild and unruly temper." The quiet sweet voice now forced Laura to grip her other hand.

Kaylena noticed the satisfied look in Seraphina's eyes as she recognised Laura's and Teyla's hands on her. But she also noticed the short confusion in the dark eyes as she didn't move. But from one moment to the other a cruel little smile played around Seraphina's lips.

"You know they like it to break them!"

The hands on her arms were like vices and she had the impression both women held their breath but before one of them could say anything she burst out into laughter.

It was no artificial laugh it was real. After all she had gone through, this stupid little woman tried to scare her with this thought. Seraphina hadn't even a clue what she was talking about.

By now they were standing in the middle of the bath temple and her laughter caught the attention of every woman in there.

"Kaylena!" Teyla whispered unsure.

But she didn't listen to her Athrosean friend she rather enjoyed the confusion in Seraphina's eyes that suddenly show light sparkles of fright as she leant forward. Near enough to be nearly nose to nose with that woman, without paying any attention to the fact that she was still hold back.

"Really?" She asked amused before her eyes showed this brat what she really felt. "Nobody breaks me!" She told her with ice cold voice while her eyes where sparkling with fire of fury.

Then she leant back, banishing the fury deep to her inside. She hadn't forgotten about the mission. She wouldn't allow her temper to destroy and ruin everything.

Of course she had been clear about the fact that the men on this planet would try to touch her and the moment Ronon and Sheppard weren't longer there to guard them one of men who should lead them to the temple couldn't hold his hands any longer. Like Pervert he had touched her and the other women and like at that time she had felt a rush of nausea. Just like herself, Teyla and Laura would have killed him instantly if it wouldn't have endangered their mission.

But unlike her they could control their temper a lot better. Not that she would have hit him or did any thing else. She played the well-behaved little slave she had to be, with her eyes fixed on the ground but after a while she started to shake.

She wasn't afraid like this stupid little man thought at first. No. She was shaking because of her effort to control her fury. And the moment this filthy little scum put a finger under her chin to eye up her face he saw it in her eyes. But her fury only seemed to raise his interest.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

The grip on her arms loosened and she send a look to both sides. Laura looked eased while Teyla send her a slight little smile which she returned with a nearly invisible nod. But the Athosean noticed it and she could see that she relaxed a little.

She didn't grant Seraphina another look. Instead her eyes examined the bath temple.

Nothing had changed since the last time she had been here. The huge cupola room was built entirely of marble, which was so white that it seemed to shine on some places. But maybe that illusion was caused by the golden elements embedded in the walls, pillars and the ground. They bore complex musters and were pretty to look at.

A huge in grounded pool dominated the middle of the vast room. Four, mosaic-decorated steps guided the way into the crystal clear water which was illuminated from the ground. The pool had been designed to create an atmosphere of recreation with lots of artificial waterfalls, spring sources and little platforms in different heights to sit or lie on.

And on the right side she found the reason for their coming. There was a grotto, only accessible through the water. She had never been in there but from what she could see from her position it couldn't be small. The outside wall was overgrown with some exotic looking plant which hadn't been there the on her last "visit" but that had been a rather long time ago.

The long tendrils of the plant twined around the grot and showed beautiful purple and white petals beneath sharp looking thorns. Her eyes fixed on a special point on the roof and she nearly sighed with relief when she noticed the light red gleam from the ZPM, largely overgrown, but still in the same spot she remembered.

It was the source of energy for all the lights, the water temperature and many other things which needed energy in here. But she was pretty sure that nobody knew exactly how valuable their energy source was.

"Undress and go in. Some of the girls will help you to wash yourself!" Seraphina's voice stopped her eyes from roaming over the room. Kaylena glanced at her and noticed that she was still unsure about her but something told her that she had to be careful around her.

Kaylena exchanged a quick glance with Teyla and Laura, who both had been checking the room, and it seemed to her that the others, too, fought the urge roll their eyes.

"Hurry! The auction is tonight and we've got a lot to do till then!" Seraphina hissed and let her eyes roam over their bodies and it wasn't hard to notice that the last part was addressed to Kaylena.

With a shrug of her shoulders she opened the laces of her skirt and pulled it over her head. She had no problem with nudity and from the sounds beside her, Teyla was the same. Only Laura seemed to hesitate a moment but finally she copied their actions and a minute later they all stepped down the stairs and descended into the warm scented water.

* * *

Ronon's hand was never far from his gun and his gaze never rested long on one place. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this nervous around a place.

After he and Sheppard had turned the women over to the men who were responsible for this part of the selling they had decided to have a look around.

Although he had known about this part of their plan he wasn't happy with it. In truth he would like nothing more than to turn around and shoot his way to this temple. The mere thought that one of the men would try to touch them, while they were unarmed and in chains, made him angry. But the fact that he wasn't allowed to be there and rip every possible attacker into tiny little pieces, drove him insane.

"Keep your temper, buddy!" Sheppard hissed quietly and shot a quick glance in every direction. "She's a big girl and can look after herself! They all can!" He added after a short pause.

Ronon knew that Sheppard only tried to appease him and that he was probably right. But he couldn't help himself. He was worried and he was furious and one look in John's eyes told him that the Colonel was much in the same mood.

None of them liked the way the women were treated on this planet and it was against his conscience to look away and do nothing. Behind every corner he was forced to witness a situation which made his blood boil to a dangerous level and his guts twisted at the thought that something might happen to Teyla or Laura. But the thought of Kaylena and all the possible things that could happen to her drove the animal in him wild with rage.

He could feel _it_ near to the surface. Watching hopefully that someone would free it from its cage. And Ronon knew pretty well that it didn't need much for that, when it was about Kaylena.

And that was what surprised and frightened him likewise.

From all the things which fascinated him about her, this was what amazed him the most. He had never met a woman who had this amount of power over that part of himself.

His primal part. Deep, superior and dangerous. Not to her but for everyone who had the intention to harm her.

Since he had met her, his inner animal which he caged so carefully most of the time, since he was in Atlantis, was back again with all its power.

Like in the past it sharpened his instincts, raised his strength and reactions but unlike in his runner times it was able rest in peace.

He never knew it was possible that this part of himself could be tamed and sleep quietly and pleased instead of just be encaged.

But as long as Kaylena was around and she was okay, it seemed to him, the animal was almost purring in satisfaction.

There was something about that woman that he couldn't fathom. Something deep inside her. But his primal part had sensed it and it was obvious that it was very pleased with what it had found.

Found. Liked. Claimed. And there was no way that it would ever let go of her again.

Ronon knew deep inside him that he would do everything that was necessary to take care of her and if he was honest he had known that since the first moment he looked into her eyes.

And he was afraid of loosing control.

He took a deep breath. That was definitely not the right time for these kind of thoughts. So he pushed them aside. Later would be enough time to think about emotional stuff like that.

If there was a later.

"How many guards?" Sheppard asked.

"Ten at the gate. Thirty at the temple and twenty one near the bazaar." He told him without hesitation.

"I counted as many!" John nodded and didn't look very happy.

"There will be more!" He added and even Sheppard didn't look surprised by this it darkened his expression.

"That's not good."

"What did you expect?" Ronon growled deeply and he felt his earlier thoughts confirmed- that Sheppard tended to underestimated these people.

Sheppard mumbled something inaudible and forced him to another growl.

"It will work!" John hissed stubbornly apparently not willing to admit that the plan could fail. A very thin and fragile plan.

Shortly before the women would be sold on the bazaar they would blow up the demolition charge and hope that they would cause enough trouble to give the women time to steal the ZPM. After that they had to find a way out of the temple and then all they had to do was reach the cloaked jumper.

All in all. Impossible.

Again he pushed that thought to the side. Thinking about the plan was nothing that would raise his mood. And even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could do but follow the plan.

Thirty minutes later the plan and all the other thoughts were forgotten when the darts appeared in the sky. The crowd started to scream, people jumped apart and ran, in the ambition to save their life before the beamer could catch them.

"Crap!" Sheppard hissed and obviously couldn't believe his eyes and ears. "She is really a magnet for trouble." John moaned and added mumbling. "You two really fit!"

"Wraith!" Ronon snarled and pulled out his gun.

* * *

"I look like Princess Leia!" Kaylena snarled, some time later, after she had looked in the mirror for a few minutes.

"Yeah, welcome to the club!" Laura didn't sound very happy but then a frown appeared on her forehead. "How the hell do you know who Princess Leia is?"

"Evan and Ryan watched the movie with me! They said it's duty to watch it."

"Introduced you to the good stuff, hmm?" Cadman asked.

"Yes, they always try to make me familiar with all this earth stuff."

"Yeah!" Laura suddenly started to chuckle. "They are both very protective of you! You nearly get the impression they were your older brothers!" She whispered while making sure nobody could hear them.

Teyla started chuckling as well as she rolled her eyes and muttered that she could look after herself.

"Don't worry. John and Ronon and even Rodney are acting much the same when it comes to Teyla. Seems to be the side effect of being the only female in a team." Laura grinned and Teyla agreed with her.

"So what did they do?" She asked but wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

"The same as every well-behaved older brother would do!" Laura snorted. "They told the guys to watch their tongues and keep their hands from you, otherwise they would regret it!"

The expression on her face apparently forces Laura to bite her lower lip in an effort not to laugh out loud. Instead she chuckled slightly.

"I'm sure most of the guys wouldn't dare to risk anything, anyway. They were too much afraid of Ronon!" Laura told her and she didn't miss the watchful glance from Teyla.

"Apart from Mitchell, I mean!" Laura's forehead creased into a frown and a curious expression rose up on her face. "What have you done to him? I mean- he is really into you! I have never thought I would see him like this."

"What do you mean?" Kaylena asked confused.

"He had a crush on you!" Cadman's blunt manner forced the frown to deepen.

"He never made any suggestions that he wanted to court me and as far as Evan and Ryan told me, earth people ask for what you call a _date_. And he never attempted something like that." She asked herself what she had missed this time.

"What? You are kidding me." Laura snapped astonished. "Mr. Womaniser is too shy around you, to ask for a date?" She chuckled hard but went silent after a quick glance around. "Well, after all he deserved not much better!" She snorted.

Kaylena exchanged a quick look with Teyla and the Athosean seemed to sense her problem. Slowly she began to wonder if the customs on her planet had been so unusual. Except her everyone seemed to be fully clear about all this strange actions.

"What Laura means is that Lieutenant Mitchell had been together with a great amount of women." Teyla tried to explain her.

"You mean he had a lot of dates!" She did her best to follow her and combine the things Evan and Ryan taught her.

"No a more intimidate way!" Teyla tried again.

"Sex!" Laura added blunt and she couldn't avoid her eyes from getting wide.

"Oh!" She hesitate a moment. "Is that one of these typical earth things, too?"

Laura surprised her with a humourless laugh. "Well for some men it seems to be a natural habit. Something to be proud of! You know: date them, bed them, and leave them."

She shook her head and looked at Teyla who seemed to have the same troubles with that attitude.

"Well..." She started unsure. "I'm not interested in something like that!"

"Which woman is?" Laura asked bitterly and for a moment she asked herself if she had had a bad experience like that, but then she grinned.

"Lucky for us not all men are like that! I'm pretty sure Ronon isn't!" She winked at her impishly and gave Teyla obviously a hard time not to grin.

Kaylena opened her mouth to explain that she wasn't with Ronon, but before a single word could escape her lips, a vocal explosion kept her attention and finally reminded her were they were.

But even though they had planned an explosion, this one was far too early and- what was worse- too heavy. Something was going very wrong and an odd feeling in her guts told her that she wouldn't like to find out.

"What the hell..." Laura started but was interrupted by another explosion. This one was so powerful that the whole temple started to jiggle and they had troubles to maintain their balance. The ground was shaking and the air was instantly filled with the ear-piercing screams and shrieks from the other women.

Some had fallen to the ground and were now hectically trying to get to their feet again. The ones in the pool nearly slipped on the stairs in their hasty effort to leave the water while the others seemed to have difficulties to decide if they should run or stay stiff because of the shock.

But a series of distant explosions and screams from the men outside forced them to react. Within seconds the panic raised to a new level and everyone did its best to reach the exit.

Everyone apart from Laura, Teyla and herself. They were still standing in front of the giant mirror which now was covered with a lot of flaws.

A bad sign if she believed in the sayings from her home planet.

"Impossible!" Cadman mumbled in disbelief.

"You can always count on my luck!" Kaylena hissed while Teyla spoke out what everybody was thinking.

"Wraith!"

"Crap!" Cadman snapped and she wouldn't dare to disagree with her.

They were trapped.

"We are locked!" Teyla stated the obvious and forced her to a frustrated sign. Just then Kaylena remembered the reason they were here.

"The ZPM!" She hissed and spun around without waiting for an answer.

"Kaylena!" She heard Teylas voice behind her but she didn't look back till she was in the water.

"Help them with the door! I will get it!" She yelled and after a second of hesitation the Athrosean nodded. She couldn't say if Laura was okay with her plan too, because she had turned her attention the grot again.

She waded through the water as quick as possible. Unfortunately the _Leia _outfit with the heavy golden top and the fluttering skirt like cloth wasn't made for that. More than once the skirt wrapped around her legs and she nearly lost her footing.

With a series of impressive curses she finally reached the grotto only to face her next problem. The ZPM was on the roof and the roof was covered with thorny plants.

But a new explosion and the raising screams reminded her that she had no time for acting like a princess only she because she was dressed like one.

How the hell was it possible that Wraith of all things attacked this planet? Was it possible that it was only bad luck? Lots in thoughts she gripped the next best cavity in the stone she could find and tried to find some hold with her bare feed.

The wall wasn't as bumpy as she would have preferred it and she gritted her teeth as she dug her nails deeper in the slight holes between the stones to feel the rough texture under the sole her foot. The stupid soaked skirt didn't make it easer to climb the wall but somehow she made it. Step by step till she was close to the cupola roof.

The vague memory of one of her dreams appeared in her mind and turned to a brisk reality as she spiked her hand on a thorn, just as she gripped between the tendrils which suddenly seemed to be everywhere.

A painful gasp escaped her throat but just as in her dream she fought down the urge to free her hand. She couldn't risk loosing her hold. Instead she searched with her other hand for a better place as fast as she could manage.

Her wet bare feed slipped over the wall for a better hold and her nails scraped painfully over the stones. Swallowing hard to ignore throbbing pang in her left hand she clenched her fist around the thorn and found the strength, she needed to go on, despite her pain.

With an eased moan she freed her palm from the thorn when she had found a good hold whit her feet and her right hand.

With a deep growl she risked a quick glance at her wound. Blood cascaded over her hand, mixed with the water which was still on her body and made it look worse than it really was.

Her inner part was snarling by the sight and the smell of her own blood. She pushed it down for the moment and concentrated on her temporary ambition.

From where she was she could see the ZPM glowing lightly under the tendrils. On this point the roof was flat enough to go on easily but still too cliffy to walk on it.

She started muttering in Lotharian as she realized that the only way to get it was to rob over the thorns.

_It's your own fault, spitfire! If you would just once use your brain before you act you would have noticed that THIS couldn't work! _

She heard the voice of her commander in her head.

"It will work!" She answered back. Still muttering she robbed forward ignoring the sharp thorns which rasped over her body. She worked slowly but steadily and was surprised that it didn't hurt as much as she had expected.

_Lirren, one day you will be my death!_

Again she muttered and rolled her eyes at the memory but than a slight smile crossed her lips as she remembered what he had said after that.

_But hell, that will be a great fight before it's time. _He had chuckled. _Always trouble with you, Kay, but always fun. _

The sound of her chuckling commander filled her with new energy and it almost had the power to benumb the sharp pain that hit her as one of the thorns dug deep into her flesh near beside her belly button.

She disengaged herself from the memories and robbed the last inches forward to a point from where she could reach the ZPM easily.

She pushed the tendrils aside and barley heard Teyla yelling to step back and search for cover before another explosion filled the air. This one was much closer. Hadn't it been for Teylas warning it would have hit her unexpected but so she was able to hold herself where she was.

The next thing she was aware of was the familiar voice of John Sheppard. So Ronon couldn't be far she guessed, while she hurried to get the ZPM out of its place.

Again she started to spill out curses in her mother language as it didn't work the way she wanted. Finally she spotted the point where the ZPM got stuck and managed to pull it free. Just in time.

"Kaylena!" Ronon's voice reminded her of her commander and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm busy!" She told him while she gripped the ZPM firmly.

"Kaylena!" He growled again.

"What?" She snapped and turned her head, surprised to find him standing in the water directly beneath the grotto.

"How do you think you get down with that?" The Satedaen pointed at the module.

Truth to be told she hadn't thought about that and he knew that exactly, so she made do with an annoyed growl forcing him to a nearly invisible grin.

"I've seen that!" She told him.

"What?" He teased her.

"Hey, kids, no time for that!" Sheppard's voice interrupted them and for once he was right.

The Colonel jumped in the water without a second of hesitation.

"Throw it!" John ordered.

She didn't think twice and tossed the ZPM in his hands as good as she could and she sighed with relief when he caught it easily.

Kaylena was occupied with climbing down and started cursing again as the thorns scratched her again.

"Jump!"

She stopped moving and looked at Ronons tall frame. He had put his gun away and winked at her with his hand. It dawned on her that it would take too long to climb down.

"Do you trust me?"

She didn't need to think twice about that. Kaylena had no doubt that he would catch her no matter what, so she let go. With a gasp she landed exactly where she had planned and grinned at him.

"Yes, I do!"

He smirked and let her down. That all happened in seconds and before she could blink twice he pressed a gun into her hand.

"Here, thought you may need that!" He growled and she was sure the grin on her face couldn't get wider.

"Hey, lovebirds, I'm sorry for interrupting you but..." The next explosion interrupted the Colonel before she could do it and drowned a coeval growl from Ronon and her.

But he was right. Without further discussions they all struggled through the water, as quick as they could manage. Three minutes later they reached the door where Teyla and Laura where holding place.

"Kaylena, is everything okay?" Teyla's concerned voice reminded her of her state and she looked down at her form.

"I'm fine!" She affirmed and ignored the throbbing pain in her left palm. Instead she gripped the gun, Ronon had given her, tighter.

"How many?" She asked.

"More than enough." Sheppard mumbled and risked a quick look outside. "What the heck..." He started and looked at Teyla.

"Yes, they try to catch the women!" The Athosean nodded.

"The Wraith?" Kaylena asked astonished and tried to get forward to risk a look by herself.

"No. The slavers!" She heard Laura's voice before she could see it with her own eyes.

"You got to be kidding me!" She hissed. "They were attacked by wraith and they have nothing better to do than..." She stopped her triad as the scene appeared before her eyes.

While the darts flew over the sky and every now and then, dissolved people with their beamers, the Xizorian men had nothing better to do than to catch the escaping slaves.

"Insane!"

"Completely insane!" Sheppard agreed with her.

"Only darts?" She asked and the others nodded.

"Until now!" Ronon growled and she knew she he was right. After the darts had done most of the work, some Wraith would come for the hunt.

"So we better hurry!"

She noticed that Laura and Teyla hadn't any weapons.

"My weapons!" She looked at Ronon, who already put out the three knives and the two snap blades which were a little bit larger than the ones she had given Ryan.

With an annoyed growl she had agreed that it would be better to hand the weapons over to him before she was brought to the temple.

With a sad sigh she handed the gun over to Laura, who wasn't good with blades as far as she knew. She offered Teyla two of the knives and put the third one in her waistband before she gripped the snap blades.

"Let's go!" Sheppard ordered.

Laura nearly stumbled over her skirt as she rushed forward and started cursing.

"Next time you will play the princess!" The Lieutenant muttered in Shepard's and Ronon's direction and Kaylena couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

"But we wouldn't look as good as you three!" John chipped in.

* * *

They hadn't gone far as their troubles began. That meant as their troubles rose up. But it wasn't the wraith that caused the most trouble. The darts were still in the sky and they had to avoid the beamers and Ronon knew that it wouldn't take long till the first wraiths would step their food on this planet.

Every now and then an explosion over drowned the general screams of panic and cries and left a nearly hysterical spirit back.

They covered themselves as good as it was possible on their way to the jumper. John at the top, Teyla and Laura in the middle, while Kaylena and he watched their backs.

He heard John yelling at Lorne, over his earpiece to hurry up but was distracted by a very familiar voice that immediately caught his attention.

"Get her!"

With disbelief he recognised Mikosh and a dozen other worshippers behind him and suddenly realization hit him that the attack was not only bad luck.

There was still a bounty on Kaylena's head and he was sure that one of the _Xizoreans_ had remembered her face from the file.

"Hurry! We've got company!" He yelled in Sheppards direction but was over drowned by Kaylenas scream as she noticed Mikosh. Screeching like a wounded animal and completely out of her mind she rushed forward to get her hand on her brother in law. Ronon hadn't expected something else but wasn't quick enough to catch her.

"Kaylena!" He heard Teyla- who knew Kaylenas temper as good as he- behind him while he got after her as quick as he could. Without a second of hesitation he shot two of the approaching men and watched with twisted guts, as Kaylena jumped at the first man within her reach, with nothing more than two thin blades.

The increasing power her fury gave her was enough to get them both out of balance and she landed on the man like an animal on its prey. Snarling and with flashing eyes.

His own animal called for liberty and he didn't hesitate to let it out as two other men reached him. Too near to use his gun he found himself engaged in a hand to hand combat.

He heard Sheppard yelling and saw one or two of the man falling down but he was too focused on the men he was fighting with, to listen to him.

Kaylena had been right. They didn't recruit everyone. These men were really good in fighting and it wasn't as easy to bring them down as he had expected.

Growling in annoyance he increased his speed and the power of his strikes. He got a lucky hit on the right one's nose and his attacker stumbled back. That gave him enough space to focus all his powers on the other one for a short moment.

The dead body hadn't even reached the ground as number one was back again and Ronon had to admit, that this one could pouch much more than the most. Snarling he doubled his force and just the moment he got the upper hand he heard Kaylena scream.

Not with fury. Only fear and it felt as if someone had ripped out his guts.

He beat the worshipper with so much force that the man seemed to take –off the ground as he flew back. But before his body could react and turn around to the source of the scream something rammed him.

This time he was the one tumbling down. Long learned reflexes allowed him to pull out his gun during the fall. With a harsh gasp he landed hard on the ground and it took him a second to notice that it was Kaylena who had pushed him aside. And after another second it was clear to him that something was wrong.

She didn't move and slowly but steadily the drumming sound in the back of his mind got to the surface and turned out to be Sheppards voice.

"Get up and carry her! Now!" He heard him.

"Ronon, hurry. We must get out of here!" Teyla's voice came from somewhere over him but then again all he could hear was the drumming beat of his blood in his ears and the painful stitch in his chest as he lift his hand from her back and found it covered with blood.

"Kaylena!" His voice was hoarse and brash and then from one second to the other he jumped up and took her with him.

"Here!" Sheppard yelled and his half cloaked body showed him that the others were already in the jumper. He looked around put couldn't see any worshippers while he hurried to get in the ship and at the moment he didn't care.

Kaylenas body was limp and he could feel the blood running down his hand, which he had pressed against her back.

He barely noticed that the doors closed and the jumper took off as he put her careful to the ground.

"What's wrong with her?" Ryan asked with a hint of panic.

"She has been shot!" Teyla explained while Ronon tore his shirt over his head and pressed it against the wound on Kaylena's back.

"The first aid kit!" Teyla ordered but Evan was already beside him with the medical box, so it was John who flew the jumper.

"Crap!" Lorne hissed as he got a clear sight of her wound, in his effort to supply her injuries as good as it was possible.

"Hurry!" Ronon growled in John's direction.

"The gate is blocked. They dialled it!"

"Then find another one!" He yelled and wasn't able to swallow the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat.

Fear. Pure fear washed through his body as he looked down at Kaylena's blood covered, motionless body. His heart hammered in his chest, sweat covered his forehead and he was sure his hands would be shaking wildly, hadn't he entwined them with Kaylena's.

The voices and movements of the others disappeared from his perception, the slight movement of her upper body, which told him that Kaylena was still alive, was the only thing which remained.

Up and down. Up and down. Withering away with every minute. And everything he could do was sit, wait and hold her hand.

Only once in his life he had felt this helpless. He could see the window exploding before his inner eye again. Only this time it was Kaylena standing in front of it.

And again there was nothing he could do. Only watch.

TBC

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the cliffhanger but I couldn't stop myself from doing so...but I promise I will update sooner.

**Asugar: **Thank you so much for the review. Yeah I like Rodney too and he is really fun to write. John and Teyla is a bit difficult. The girly girly part in me wants to make all of them happy, with a lot of pink fluff. But I try very hard to refuse my inner demon. lol.

So there will be hints, that they like each other and would make a nice pair but nothing more...(well it's planned that way...Ronon and Kaylena are difficult enough..)

**HeavenlyKitten: **Thx for all you reviews...It always made my day much brighter after I read your comments. It's really nice that someone else enjoys my stories and want to read some more...

**crakedmind:** Divine? Wow thx. Also thx for the hint with the explanation points. I'm no native speaker and so I'm always trying to make everything "perfect" so maybe now and then it's a little bit too much.

I will keep it in mind...but I can't promise anything.g

Shandra


	12. Movie night

Disclaimer: look chapter one...

Sorry...I know it's been a while since the last update...

* * *

CHAPTER TWELF: MOVIE NIGHT

_4 weeks later: _

"Ronon, don't you dare!" Kaylena snarled and he couldn't keep himself from grinning, knowing well she would be pissed.

"I'm fine. I can carry that by my own." She slapped him slightly when he didn't handle the tray over to her.

"Hey kids, stop fighting!" Sheppard called behind him.

"Oh, very funny," Kaylena muttered while she tried again to get her hands on it. "I will, when you tell this oversized bullhead to hand my tray over."

"The doc said you should let it go slow," Ronon disagreed and held it high, so that she couldn't reach it.

"You've got to be kidding me. That's only a tray!" She spit out and the expression on her face forced Sheppard and him to chuckle.

"Unbelievable," she mumbled and crossed her hands in front of her chest.

"Yeah, but Ronon is right," John grinned. "Even if your ancestor genes allow you to heal a lot quicker than us normal mortals you should take care of yourself. You got yourself almost killed this time!"

Against his will Ronon flinched. If there hadn't been a second stargate in space above the planet she wouldn't have made it.

When they had arrived at Atlantis, Kaylena had shown hardly any life signs due to the huge amount of blood she had lost. And Ronon was sure a lesser skilled doctor than Beckett wouldn't have been able to save her life. The surgery had lasted over four hours and Beckett had assured them it was a wonder she was still breathing. Her genetical disposition and physical had played a vital part in that, apart from an unbelievable amount of luck.

And all of that had only happened because she wanted to save his life. John told Ronon that she already had hands on her brother in law, when one of the other men targeted his gun at him. According to Sheppard she had let go of Mikosh by instant and rushed over to him.

He pushed those thoughts aside. There was no use to worry over spilled milk.

"So... I've heard you plan a movie night?" John's grin was settled somewhere between amusement and huffy, because he hadn't been invited.

Ronon rolled his eyes. Kaylena and he had planned to spend this evening together without the others. And a teasing Sheppard was the last thing he needed tonight.

"Yeah".

"Yes. We want to watch the movies I won at the match."

"_Alien_, hmm?" Sheppard asked and grinned. "I don't think that she will be acting like ordinary girls, you know," Sheppard teased him with a smug smile.

Ronon was sure Kaylena would be annoyed about Sheppard's indication, but instead she only raised an eyebrow in his direction. A wordless demand to translate what the Colonel was talking about.

"Later," he answered, after he remembered Sheppard's affirmation that most girls were so frightened during that movie that they clung to the next man as if their life depended on it. He had no doubt that Kaylena wasn't like that. But he also asked himself what had happened that she didn't act grumpily, like she did normally, when John had his casual way.

Apparently the Colonel had sensed that too, but shrugged his shoulders after a moment.

"So, Ronon piled up enough food to survive a possible war." He grinned but raised his hands a moment later. "Alright guys. Have fun." And with that he left them alone.

With a last half heated effort Kaylena tried to reach the tray but he was quicker.

"No chance," he chuckled as she curled her lips in a mocking attempt to sulk.

"Okay," she gave in and grinned sneakily. "But then we will watch _Pitch Black _first. Ally told me it was a good one and the guy is really hot."

"Hot?" he snarled and was sure that he hadn't any longing anymore, to watch this movie but was likewise surprised about her diction. Muttering that she definitely learned the wrong words, they walked back to his quarters.

Kaylena only grinned and walked silently beside him. Nobody spoke a word till they arrived at his quarters and Kaylena nestled on his bed, the only seating in his room.

"What happened between you and Sheppard?" he asked while he fumbled with the DVD player. When she didn't answer he looked up only to find lost in thoughts, apparently searching for the right words.

Instead she only shrugged.

"Sometimes there is more than you can see at first glance."

His raised eyebrow urged her to go on.

"He isn't that superficial and arrogant as I first thought!" she answered truthfully. "He only acts like that to hide his feelings."

"And what brought you to that thought?" Although he was glad that she finally was able to see the real Sheppard, he was curious about where that conclusion came from.

"A lot of things but mostly Teyla."

From all possible answers that was the last one, he had expected but on the other hand he knew instantly what she meant.

"He acts different around her. Why aren't they...?"

He shook his head lightly as he joined her on the bed. "It's difficult!"

"Because of the team."

It wasn't a question but he nodded all the same.

"I understand," she added quietly and for a long moment they both keep quiet but unlike their normal silence, this one was uncomfortable.

In the end it was Kaylena who spoke first.

"Hey!" she protested. "That's not _Pitch Black_!" she snapped as the title _Alien_ flickered over the screen.

"This one is better!" he grinned.

"You only say so because you're afraid of competition," she retorted teasingly and he couldn't keep himself from growling, which only forced her to chuckle.

* * *

_Again she was running as fast as she could through a forest. Of course she was bare feed –like always. As if there wasn't enough to handle! _

_The thing was behind her, so close that she could feel its ice cold breath in her neck and she had no time to think about shoes. _

_Cold shivers went down her spine urging her to_ _increase her speed, but she knew that she couldn't hold this tempo for a long time. Her heart was already pounding against her chest as if it was trying to break free while her lungs screamed in protest. _

_She had no idea how long they played their usual game till she noticed that her surrounding was changing. The trees in front of her thinned out until she was suddenly running onto a clearance. A clearance crowded with people. _

_Her heart nearly stopped as she noticed who these people were. _

"_NO!" she choked in a breathless whisper which soon turned into a frightened scream as she recognised that the thing, behind her, had noticed them too. _

_She couldn't say why but she was sure about it and she felt the moment it turned its attention towards the others. And suddenly it disappeared. The cold shiver she always felt when it was near was gone and she knew that the only possible reason why it ceased from her was..._

"_No!" she screamed again, her eyes wide with fear. She tried to run quicker and although her legs were tired, like the rest of her body, the knowledge of what would happen pushed her adrenaline level to a new height and increased her speed. But it seemed that the distance remained the same. _

"_Ronon!" she screamed as loud as she could when she noticed the vague shadow appearing behind the group. _

_No! No! No!_

"_Ronon,_ _Ronon! Behind you!" she yelled nearly out of breath, but without any success. He and the others didn't seem to notice her or her warnings. They were talking and laughing, standing together in little groups completely oblivious to the danger behind them. _

_A hand of cold fear gripped her heart and slowly crushed it as more and more shadows appeared behind her friends. _

_She was screaming and yelling but without any result. They would get them and kill them and all she could do was watching helplessly. As always. _

_Her exhausted body wasn't able to keep on running and she stumbled. The last thing she saw was an amorphous hand reaching for Ronon's throat. _

_Screaming his name, she hit the ground. _

_

* * *

_

A quiet sigh made Ronon and a grin appeared when he noticed that Kaylena had fallen asleep. Apparently the movie wasn't even frightening enough to keep her awake.

He watched her thoughtfully. The sleep had softened her expression and she looked peaceful. It was a totally different sight of her. Usually she was too watchful to relax, or too furious to even think about it.

A warm wave of satisfaction washed over him as he realised how deep her trust in him was, that she allowed herself to rest beside him and counted on his protection. Not that her trust wasn't justified. He would never betray her.

Ronon didn't struggle against what he felt for her any longer. It was still strange that he felt this close connected to someone else and that she had such an easy access to his feelings. But on the other hand, he felt something that could turn into something deeper. A vague hope of something which he thought, he had lost it during his runner years: the capability to love.

Ronon pushed the thought quickly aside. He knew too well, that it was dangerous to let such feelings get the upper hand and be ruled by them.

To admit that he felt something for her was one thing. To hope for love and a relationship, like a man who still had dreams, was another.

But he also had to admit that things had changed since he was on Atlantis. He _had_ dreams again because here he could hope for a future which comprised more than just the survival up to the next day.

Was it safe or not to allow himself such thoughts?

No matter what, his inner animal betrayed his logical self with ease, purring in affirmation of those tempting illusionary thoughts of what could be.

But even if he allowed himself such daydreams, he couldn't be sure of her feelings.

Again his inner animal was quick with the solution to this new dilemma: to court her with everything he had.

Slowly his fingers caressed her cheek and gently removed a dark strand of her hair. Instead of waking up she snuggled her cheek against his palm and let out a low sigh of comfort, which he took as a sign of being on the right way. At least of this he could be sure- she wasn't averse to his touch.

Without any effort his thoughts turned to the last time he had been with a woman: Melena. Although there was still a feeling of melancholy it didn't hurt to think of her, as it used to be during all those years. As he remembered their first meeting a small smile appeared on his face.

On Sateda it was the woman who made the choice and approached her chosen one and although Melana's personality was actually shy and sweet she had been very clear and direct when it came up to him. Despite the fact that their personalities were quite contrasting he had deeply loved her and still felt honoured that she had chosen him.

Among Kaylena's people, it was the man who made the first step but they had nearly the same values when it came up to warrior women. So maybe she couldn't even imagine a relationship or wasn't interested in one.

Up to now he hadn't detect a single sign in her behaviour which might indicate he could hope for more in their relation ship than mere friendship.

And yet his instincts disagreed. And maybe they were right. After all she trusted him without any doubts, she spent most of her free time with him and not with somebody else and she didn't hesitate to risk her own life for his rescue.

Ronon swallowed hard but the numb feeling which sprawled up in his chest, every time he conjured of the memory of that moment, didn't vanish.

He was a fighter and wouldn't think twice to risk his life for his friends but he didn't like that character trait in them. Especially not in Kaylena.

His eyes roamed over the, in all likelihood harmless, woman beside him and he snorted lightly. He better came to terms with her behaviour, because he doubted that she would be willing to change.

Since they had been back from Xizor it seemed, that the number of Marines who had a crush on Kaylena had sunk.

It was strange, if he considered her first appearance on Atlantis, her behaviour and all the sparring matches, but suddenly she seemed to have proven too wild and unsteady for their taste. The respect was still there and maybe even raised up but the Xizor story apparently reminded them of Kaylena's real temper. And obviously that was nothing earth men were looking for in a woman or could deal with. At least not when it came up to a relationship.

Ronon had been on Atlantis long enough, to register that earth men didn't like women who could surpass them as a warrior. It seemed to crush their ego when a woman was able to look after herself. And Kaylena was more than able to do so and slowly but steady the men on Atlantis seemed to become aware of that. More than that. They also sensed something dangerous and untamed about her. Something that seemed to allure trouble.

Unlike earth men that fact only raised his interest but most of all his effort to look for her safety.

In her sleep she snuggled closer to his side. He sighed deeply and decided that it was enough for now. Instead of thinking about what might be he should enjoy what he had.

Slowly and silently he slipped deeper down his bed, so that he was lying. He pulled her closer, leant his face against the top of her head and closed his eyes.

With the familiar scent of her hair he fell asleep.

Ronon had no idea how much time had passed when her thrashing around woke him up. She was anxiously moving back and forth and panted as if she had difficulties to breath.

He rose up or at least tried to. Her fingers had gripped him firmly and her nails dug deep into his flesh.

"No," her whisper was a hoarse and fearful sound. "No!" This time she was louder.

"Kaylena?" he called her softly and shook her lightly with the only effect that she struggled harder and more hectically.

"Ronon!"

"Kaylena," he tried again. "Kaylena!" He shook her with more force but she didn't stop shouting.

"No... no...no!" Now she was kicking and lashing around with all she had and that was a good deal even while she was asleep. "Ronon, behind you!"

"Kaylena, wake up!" He shook her and tried likewise to dodge her thrashing fists. Her whole body shook violently from her fight against an invisible enemy. "Kaylena!" With a quick move he caught her fists and blocked her legs with his own so that she was unable to move.

"Ronon!" And with a last scream she woke up.

* * *

Like always when she woke up from her dreams, she shot up ready for battle. At least she would have, hadn't there been arms and legs restraining her. She struggled harder till a familiar voice soaked through the rest of the sleepy fog which surrounded her.

"Ronon?" she mumbled unsure and suddenly her eyes widened. "Ronon!"

His low answering growl was enough to dispel the last dreamy clouds.

"Kaylena? You okay?" Ronon asked while he let slowly go of her.

She swallowed hard as she noticed the concern in his eyes. Apparently her dream hadn't been as quiet as she would have preferred it. Damn it, why did she drift off?

Oh yeah sure, cause she was with Ronon and to be with Ronon meant that she was safe. Wonderful! She ran her fingers through her hair and remembered that he still as waiting for an answer. So she nodded, to tell him that everything was okay even though she wasn't sure if that was the truth. To be honest, nothing was okay.

"No," she whispered and flinched as she noticed that she had spoken loud.

"It...it's nothing," she stuttered and tried to crawl away from him. She needed space to cool down but obviously Ronon begged to differ. With one fluently move he pulled her against him so that she was sitting on his lap. He didn't say a single word only pulled her close.

At first she stiffened and wished he would let go of her so that she could escape to her room. Probably that was the reason for his behaviour.

She never before had faced another person after waking from her nightmares. Truth to be told it had been over six years ago that she last woke up next to another person. Except for Kaaron but he was always sleeping peaceful and far away from her in his own bed.

After a while she started to relax and allowed herself to lean against him. After all it was Ronon. She sighed deeply and snuggled her head into the curve of his neck and felt his arms, which hesitantly circled her form. When she didn't push him away, he rested his hands on her back and she felt his chin on the top of her head.

Kaylena had to admit that she could get used to this. It felt...good.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. It was the first time she noticed that his familiar scent smelled kind of nice. It also calmed her and reminded her that it had only been a nightmare. Nothing special only the usual stuff. The same stuff she had handled on her own for years without any help.

She shouldn't allow him to be this close. Physically and mentally. It only made her vulnerable. But truth to be told he already was closer to her than anybody else, apart from her family, had ever been. And she didn't want to push him back cause she really liked being close to him.

It always felt as if...well to be honest she had no idea how she felt. She only knew that around him she could be Kaylena. The real one or at least what had remained of her old self.

The last six years had changed her in so many aspects that she sometimes had troubles to believe that she was still Kaylena Lirren. But her inner part was still there; only these days she was more cautious to protect it, than she had been six years ago when she hadn't known the painful value of having friends and family.

But around Ronon it was easy to let go of the protective barriers and behave like she wanted to do without looking for possible danger. She felt freed and well...happy.

She felt his fingers stroking gently through her hair and she relaxed even more. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed. His smell, his nearness and his care –it all was too much. But she didn't feel the urge to wrestle herself free and run away. Instead she felt the need to tell him about her dream.

"It haunts me," she whispered nearly voiceless but she knew that he could hear her and from the short hesitation of his fingers she could tell that he listened, so she went on.

"I run. I always have to run," Kaylena started unsure. "Sometimes I have to climb to escape and sometimes I'm in the water but most of the time I'm running."

He said nothing but the hand, which pressed her toward him, had increased the pressure. Only lightly but enough to be taken as an encouraging comment from his side.

"I run till I'm tired. My heart is throbbing frantically, my lungs are burning but I run. Sometimes I'm stumbling and it nearly gets me, sometimes I hurt myself in the effort to get away from it and sometimes the fear sprawls over my whole body till I'm shaking wildly, but I never stop running," she told him quietly but her voice was steady now.

His stroking fingers in her hair comforted her and gave her the courage to go on.

"It never gets me. It's only inches behind me, sometimes so near that I can feel its ice cold breath but it doesn't get me." Quietly she sighed and deeply inhaled his soothing scent. For some seconds she remained silent, but after a while she heard the rumbling sound in his chest even before she heard him speak.

"Who is haunting you?"

That was a good question. When it was in front of her it was nothing more than a vague shadow. A formless fear without a face but when it was behind her it was different. Somehow she knew that she could get an answer to this question if she would turn around. But she couldn't turn around and run. To risk a look would destroy the little chance she had and she would die. That much she knew. And she had to admit that she feared the answer.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "It's too close behind me to look at it or too far away to be more than a shadow!" His chin was moving lightly over her head till she felt his cheek on its place. She suppressed a deep sigh but couldn't keep herself from snuggling closer to him.

She was acting like a frightened little child but at the moment she didn't really care.

"What happened this time?"

Again Kaylena could feel the vibration of his deep voice rumbling in his chest. For a short moment she asked herself how he could know that this time her dream had been different but than she suspect that she hadn't only screamed his name.

She pressed her still closed eyes further together and mused if she should tell him. In the end she decided that it didn't make any difference at this point.

"This time...this time it wasn't after me. And it wasn't alone." After a moment she went on. "They were after you and the others. Kaaron, Evan, Ryan, Teyla, Ally, Carson even John and Rodney," she mumbled. "I tried to warn you but you couldn't hear me. I tried to run faster. Really!" The sudden, totally insane, fear that he wouldn't belief her washed over her.

"I ran faster than ever before...but...but I stumbled...I...I called you...really...!" She stuttered but was stopped by his calm voice calling her name.

"It's okay!" But she shook her head as hard as she could.

"No! No, it's not! I couldn't do anything. Only watch. Watch how everyone I know and love die and leave me alone. Like always."

"You aren't alone anymore. You are with us now," he told her and even though she knew he really meant it, she also knew, that he couldn't promise her that. "I will not leave you."

She really hoped that this promise would never be tried, because she knew the only way he would break his promise was by dying.

"Come on," he growled after a while and reluctantly she opened her eyes and detached herself from him. But before she knew what was going on they both lay on the bed and he pulled her to his side again. For a second she struggled with herself, but in the end she just stopped thinking and sighed deeply.

None of them spoke a word, they were both satisfied resting side by side and for the first time in a damn long period of time she felt safe enough to sleep peacefully.

* * *

_4 days later: _

"I didn't say the names are stupid, I only say that my names..." Rodney started but was instantly interrupted by Sheppard.

"Voyager and Enterprise!" The Colonel snorted. "I'm surprised that you didn't suggest Millennium Falcon or Firefly!"

Even Ronon had come to know these names in the meantime, because Sheppard had introduced him to the movies, and he couldn't fathom why Rodney tried to name the ships after them every time they found one.

"Oh, very funny, Sheppard!" The Scientist snapped. "The new ones aren't that better!"

"You should be careful with that," Sheppard grinned and looked over at Lorne who was standing on the other side of the feastful decorated place in the Athosean village, right beside Dr. Biggelow.

"It was Ally named the _Super –warship_."

After having troubles to name the _Orion, _Weir decided that this time everyone on Atlantis could make a suggestion and they would hold a vote and choose the most popular name in the end.

Ronon had no idea what was so exciting about that, but Teyla explained to him that this communal decision would show a sense of solidarity for all people on Atlantis and affirm Dr. Weir's sincere interest in their opinion.

Finally it had been decided that the smaller one would be named _Sirius _and the ship from the superclass _Medusa. _

At first Kaylena didn't seem very happy with the names but after Ally explained her their mythological meaning she was okay with them. Especially with the name Ally had chosen.

Ronon looked over at the petite redhead who was shyly answering Lorne's smile at her.

Apparently the major had followed Kaylena's advice and this time he hadn't waited too long to ask her. And it was obvious that Lorne enjoyed his _date_.

"Looks like the doc has turned the Major around her pretty little finger already!" John grinned who had obviously followed his glance.

"Oh, please!" Rodney snorted with contempt. "As if that had been such a hard job," he added and rolled his eyes.

Obviously he was still huffy that his theory about Ally's feelings for him hadn't been right.

"You are only jealous," Sheppard grinned brightly.

"Of whom?" Kaylena's voice sounded from behind them and Ronon turned around to find her right beside Teyla. Both women wore girdles of flowers, made by the children of the village, wrapped around their necks and also some single flowers in their hair.

Apart from the dancing, singing, drinking and eating this was one of the Athosean rituals of this festivity as Teyla had told them some time ago. And it was pretty okay for Ronon. Especially the drinking and eating part.

"Lorne's success with women," Sheppard answered after a long look at Teyla's direction.

But Ronon had to admit that the view was really nice. Even though he was less affected by the Athosean leader than by the tall brunette right beside her.

"What has Evan...?" Kaylena started while her eyes already searched the place for the Major. She stopped herself and smiled. "Oh, I see."

"I'm not jealous!" Rodney snapped. "Why should I? And before you loose yourself in finding reasons I better look for the buffet!" He hesitated a moment. "There is one, isn't it?" He looked over to Teyla, who had stayed quiet until now but couldn't keep herself from smiling due to the frightened tone in Rodney's voice.

"I'm starving!"

"What a surprise!"

Without showing any reaction to John's teasing tone, Rodney turned around and walked towards the other side, without waiting for Teyla's answer.

"He's always that exhausting, right?" Kaylena asked.

"Don't tell me you needed months to get the hang of it!"

"John!" Teyla warned him softly but Kaylena surprised everyone with a low chuckle.

"No, actually not."

Suddenly music filled the air adding a new background for the laughing, the chatting and the happy screams from the children.

"Oh," Teyla beamed happily. "They start with the dances!" And with a swift movement she had gripped Sheppard's arm. "Come on, Colonel! If I'm not mistaken you lost the last match and promised to dance!" A smile was on heir face which turned into an open laugh when she saw the expression on Johns face.

"But..." Sheppard started half-heated, than stopped himself sighing deeply. "Fine." He added and allowed Teyla to pull him with her.

With an amused smile on her lips Kaylena joined Ronon and watched the laughing and now dancing people in the middle of the village.

"How are you?" He asked in a low voice after they had spent some minutes in comfortable silence, which seemed to turn into an uncomfortable one after his question. But in the end she looked at him and her lips curled into a smile.

"I'm fine. I spend the day with Kaaron." Her smile widened and she gripped the flowers around her neck. "He made that for me!"

He raised a brow but nodded.

"Tomorrow we will train together. The Athoseans showed him how to use the banthos sticks and Teyla said he is really talented."

The proud expression on her face made him smile. Ronon knew that she tried to hard to become not too attached to Kaaron but she wasn't very successful. And he was sure that she enjoyed the boy's company. Probably he reminded her of the family she had lost or the one she wished to have by her own.

His last thought paved the way for things he shouldn't think about. Not again. He had never been much of a thinker and he shouldn't change that.

Loud laughter made them turn their heads towards the dancing crowd. The girls and women started to pull the men into the circle, even a wild struggling and protesting McKay. But his protesting half shrieks half groans only forced the people to laugh.

His eyes flickered back to Kaylena and he froze.

"Kaylena?" he asked with a frown. Her happy expression was gone. But after a closer look he noticed that she looked thoughtful not frightened as he had first thought. Her eyes were fixed on the dancing crowed which was now arranged after a certain muster.

The women formed the inner circle while the men made the external one. Both groups moved in different directions and had gripped each others hands. Suddenly the music was interrupted by a loud bang and the women let go of each others hands to slip under the outstretched arms of the men. In the end the men were in the middle and the women started to circle them, twirling around themselves and clapping their hands to the rhythm of the music. He could see John, who was laughing and performing astonishing good and even Rodney tried his best to follow the steps.

"Kaylena?" he tried again.

"I think I remember now," she answered.

"Remember what?"

"The coordinates for the second planet." Slowly her eyes turned back on him. "I finally remember them. The Vehwendi." She smiled. "They are peaceful people much like the Athoseans. I'm sure they will be willing to trade with us."

TBC

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked it...

renavatio/crackedmind: I tried my best to hold my "exclamation point obsession" in check...I wasn't really successful but I think it's better than last time.

So please be kind *g*

But I would be very happy about any help ...I'm still no native speaker...

and of course reviews...


	13. Primal dance

Disclaimer: still not mine...sadly

A/N: I'm really sorry it took me so long. I haven't abandoned this story. There are a few more chapter finished already. But I'm still no native speaker and also my english is getting better it's still not good enough to post the chappies like they are.

My friend read them over. But she she is no native speaker and has not always enough time to correct my work. So I'm searching for a beta with strong nerves...^^

I really hope you like this chapter and I'll will do my best to update more often...

Love Shan

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PRIMAL DANCE

"You could have mentioned that before!" Rodney hissed and didn't try to suppress his annoyance.

Kaylena fought the urge to choke him.

"Yes, Rodney, if I had remembered -and obviously I didn´t - I would´ve said something." She mumbled while she scanned the area.

They had followed the small path in front of the stargate and the environment was even more beautiful than she remembered. It was an ocean of colours. Her nose was filled with as many scents as she could see plants and flowers. She heard the sound of birds and every now and then movements in the grass and undergrowth leaves reminded her of other kinds of animals. There were only few planets she had seen which were as filled with life as this one. Vehwen was a living jungle and she loved it.

"And you are sure these people have disposed of ancient technologies?" Sheppards frown seemed to deepen the more they advanced into the depths of the jungle.

"As I said they protect their city with an invisibility shield. That's the reason the wraith didn't feed on them. They don't even know they exist."

Again she was aware of the huffy look McKay send in her direction but she ignored it. He was lucky that she remembered the coordinates! After all it had been twenty years since her last visit to this planet

Amonet Lirren had been an expert of plants. Economical and exotic ones likewise. Kaylena had no idea where her mother had met the _Vehwendi_ woman but one day she had taken Adara and herself with her on her travel. Amonet had been invited to this planet to help the _Vehwendi _with some complex problem with parts of their vegetation.

It had been one of the rare times they were allowed to join her mother during her work and they both had enjoyed the time. She couldn't clearly remember specific things, more vague feelings and it warmed her heart to be at a place, which had the to power to revoke happy memories to the surface.

Kaylena smiled slightly and send a short look back to the gate. The only reason she know the coordinates of this planet at all, was the fact that she had demanded with all her six year old stubbornness to dial the gate. There had been a loud argument with her sister about that –both of them had wanted to do that –so in the end her mother decided that Kaylena would dial _Vehwen _and her sister would dial back home.

Slowly her smile started to faint as she realized that she wouldn't be here if her mother had decided the other way round. No, she thought and her smile recovered. She had always been the worst bullhead so mostly she had got her will.

She sensed some ones eyes on her and wasn't surprised to find out that it were Ronon´s. Without hesitation her smile even widened and a warm flutter washed over her as he returned it.

"Doesn't look very ancient!" Sheppard remarked suddenly and her head snapped around as if she had done something off-limit. Much to her relief she had never been one to blush easily.

This was so odd. But she had the feeling that things had changed since their movie-night. At least for her she thought. And if she was honest she couldn't even clearly define what that meant. It was irritating and that wasn't a feeling she liked very much.

Get a grip Kaylena. It's only Ronon. Possibly the best friend you've ever had.

She knew fully well that _friendship _wasn't exactly describing what they both shared. Their relationship was based on a deeper level right from the beginning.

Primal. She thought and nearly heard the affirming growl from her inner friend.

"And what do you think _ancient_ looks like?" Rodney snorted.

"Hm...dunno. Maybe like Atlantis?" Ryan answered instead of the Colonel.

"Yeah, or at least...." She could see John looking around. "Less uhm...wild!"

"As Kaylena told you..." Rodney informed the Colonel all the while glaring at her. "They use a shield probably much like the one we have in Atlantis. And only by the way. If I would have known that I..." He started only to be interrupted by Ronon´s low growl.

"Rodney, she already said she was sorry that she didn't remember this little fact, so maybe we can...."

"Little fact?" McKay snapped. "Look around, if it's true what she told us about these people they use a huge shield to cloak a city as big as the one Kaylena remembered. Maybe it´s not that big as the one we use in Atlantis but you probably recall how much energy it has cost us lately?" He glanced around. "Yes, exactly. An enormous amount. So can you imagine how much energy is needed to hold up the shield permanently?"

"Dr. McKay, are you afraid they won't be willing to trade with us because they need the ZPMs for themselves?" Teyla asked, obviously as irritated by his strange behaviour as Kayleena herself. Well even strange according to McKay´s standards.

Of course it would have been nice if she had remembered about the shield thing before they arrived here. But after all it wasn't such a big deal. She could remember the direction where to find the city well enough, so sooner or later they would find them. And she was sure the _Vehwendi_ would welcome them. They were friendly people after all and only lived in hiding to protect themselves from the wraith. She couldn't really understand why Rodney was this huffy. By the ancients, she had only been a kid the last time she had been here.

"You do remember the last time we found some stupid people using ancient technologies non-stop? Specially a shield?" The scientist hissed annoyed and forced her to look questioningly around.

"You are pissed because you're afraid there could be a volcanic reaction?" Sheppard asked with disbelief and looked around as if expecting a volcano to suddenly pop up somewhere near.

"Volcanic reaction?" Kaylena asked stunned while Lorne and Sheppard chuckled lightly.

"Last year we visited an ancient outpost. The people there used the ancient shield to protect their city." Teyla explained to her. "But they drew the required energy from a volcano so..."

"So in the end it resulted in an outburst!" Sheppard finished Teyla´s explanation.

"And we nearly died!" McKay exclaimed.

"Yes, Rodney, but thanks to you we all are fine!" Sheppard rolled his eyes.

Kaylena looked at Teyla in the hope for a little more information and the other woman sensed her unspoken wish.

"The magma destroyed the stargate before we were able to evacuate all people to Atlantis. We were stuck on the planet and if it hadn't been for the Daedalusand the _Orion_, we found there, we wouldn't have made it!"

"I can reassure you, Rodney, there´s nothing to worry about!" She told him. Even though it was ridiculous that a person could be this frightened of all possible kinds of dangers –especially very unlikely ones- she tried to calm him. If he would be a little more easy it would be better for all of them. "They only activated the shield when the gate is dialled."

"How do you know?" Evan asked.

"The longer I'm here the more I remember!"

"Maybe you might remember the hidden entrance?" John asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Rodney stretched the word while he looked at his computer pad. " You should listen to me! After all I can tell you for sure were to go!"

"Really?" Now it was Sheppard's time to stretch the word.

"Yes, there is a energy hike" Rodney looked up "this way!"

Kaylena wasn't sure how much longer they walked through the forest, she was too much absorbed by her surrounding and long forgotten memories, when her ears suddenly caught an alarming sound.

She stopped dead in her movement and listened with concentration while her eyes were locked with Ronon's who had sensed it too.

The others stopped too but instead of listening they watched the two of them.

"What's up?" Sheppard asked with a low voice and gripped his gun tighter, and the others copied his action immediatly. But only Teyla followed their gesture. And then there it was again.

"_No! No! Help!" _

It was quiet. So quiet that she would had dismissed it as an illusion this time, hadn't it been for the glance in Ronon's eyes. He heard it too. And without another blink they both gripped their guns and started to run.

Kaylena heard Sheppard's voice behind her. Yelling he tried to stop them but she didn't hesitate. She couldn't wait for the others, who were definitely following Ronon and her. Even though she had no idea what was happening, she had a feeling that it was necessary to act quick.

Kaylena felt Ronon's presence beside her and it made her smile. He held her speed easily and although she knew he could run a little faster, if he really wanted, he didn't.

They had left the path and were running cross the jungle. Jumping and ducking through the thick bushwhack, it was getting harder and harder to get forward.

But now the screams in front of them got louder and louder while Sheppard's screams faded behind them. She wasn't sure if he had only stopped shouting or if he wasn't behind them any longer. At the moment she didn't have the time to think about it.

She punched a long thread of fern out of her way and suddenly she was back on a path again. In front of her two men tried to take a group of white clothed people with them into the deeper part of the forest. They were bound together and cried out for help but they only struggled half-heartedly against their ties.

But the moment Ronon and she burst out of the undergrowth the heads of all attendee shot up and their eyes became wide, at the the sight of their raised weapons. And without a moment of hesitation both attackers turned around and fled into the forest.

She didn't stop by the now freed people. Instead she gritted her teeth and raised her speed. From the annoyed growl beside her she knew Ronon did the same.

The people weren't in danger any longer and beside that, Sheppard and the others couldn't be far and would ensure their safety. Now it was Ronon's and her job to catch the attackers.

Kaylena could feel her breath quickening and her blood rushing wildly through her veins. She felt powerful and alive. Her legs flew easily over the ground while her hands had gripped her gun like a vice. She closed her eye -lids enough to get a better focus on one of the men but it was impossible to get a good shot. Apparently Ronon thought different, triggered his gun and failed.

The men held a good speed but started to stumble for a second, when they heard Ronon's gunshot. They both glanced over their shoulder and she could see the panic in their looks, as they recognised how close they were and by this careless action they only lost more safe ground. Obviously they were clever enough to sense that too and after a moment they separated as if they had figured that idea in the same moment.

Kaylena shot a quick glance at Ronon who did the same and she could feel the awakening of her inner part. It hit her the moment she looked in his eyes and sensed the equal part in him. Ronon's eyes seemed to flash up for a moment and a predatory smile crossed his lips. Without exchanging a single word they separated. Ronon to the left while she followed the other man on the right side.

Her blood boiled up and her skin tickled in excitement while Mr. Furious screamed in delight because of the hunt.

Kaylena felt the urge to laugh but suppressed it. On the one hand it would make it difficult to control her breath and on the other hand she knew exactly that laughing was close to loosing her mind.

She banned that urge and focused on running. She could allow herself to enjoy the hunt and the feeling of rushing blood, which made her feel so alive. It was okay that her senses had sharpened and that she was aware of her surrounding as if she was part of it and it was also okay to enjoy the company of her wild part. But it was not okay to lose herself in her primal self again, even if the hunt and her surrounding was calling her to do so.

But she hadn't spent all this time alone without learning how to control herself. Six year on her own had made her familiar with every part of herself and with the power of control. Mr. Furious was allowed to come out to play but would be banned in his cage when the hunt was over. And it wouldn't be long till it would come to an end.

With a dark snarl she focused on her prey who wasn't running far in front of her. The surrounding was still to erratic to get a clear shot. They were now deeper in the forest than before. For a short moment she asked herself how long she had been running yet and it also crossed her mind that the man was a real good runner. She knew that she was quick but he wasn't bad either. And besides he hadn't been running as long as she had.

But suddenly her sharpened senses noticed a change.

She had spent a few month in the civil world again but her intuition for danger was still there. Maybe it was one of those things once learned it never ceased to be.

Kaylena stopped abruptly and gripped her second gun, not one moment too late. Within seconds she was surrounded. A dozen men or more appeared between the bushes. Every single one of them was heavily armed. She couldn't spot any guns but knifes and daggers could cause a lot of damage too. No one knew that better than she herself.

Her skin was tickling again and her blood was still rushing with force through her body but this time things were different. She wasn't the hunter any longer.

She was the prey.

* * *

Ronon couldn't keep himself from growling darkly. He had lost the track of the man a while ago in the deeper part of the forest. The knowledge of the environment gave the attackers a great advantage and Ronon had to accept that he wouldn't find him.

So he decided to return to the others. He used his earpiece to ask Sheppard where they were but got no answer. Apparently the forest jammed the signal. Shrugging his shoulders he fell into a light sprint. His sense of orientation was good enough to find the right direction and after a while he could hear muffled voices. At first he wasn't sure if it was Sheppard and the others but then he heard Rodney complaining. He rolled his eyes and a moment later he broke through the bushes.

Immediately he was confronted with four raised P 90s which were lowered the second they recognised him.

"Ronon, is everything okay?" Teyla asked him.

He gave her a small nod and took in the sight in front of him. The five men in the white clothes had ripped the rope off their wrists and held themselves with an astonishing straight. The expression on their faces was a mix of relief and happiness but none of them let his feelings burst out too much.

"Where is he?" Sheppard asked and Ronon told him that he had lost him because of the unfamiliar surrounding.

"Where is Kaylena?" Lorne's voice made him look at the Major and he raised his eye-brows.

"We separated. She's behind the other." Ronon informed him and could see that the dark haired man wasn't quiet happy with the answer. He even exchanged a quick look with Campell.

"I'm sure she will be right back." Teyla who had apparently sensed the worries of Kaylena's team mates too, tried to calm them.

He didn't say anything, but an unpleasant feeling had found its way to his guts caused by the worried expression on Lorne's and Campell's face and was now settled there. Kaylena had a talent for finding trouble or maybe the trouble was finding her- they all knew that fact.

Maybe it had been a bad idea to separated if he hadn't... He stopped this thought and felt the urge to grin. Kaylena would kick him off-world if she knew he was being overprotective again.

"Excuse me," One of the man inquired with a smooth voice.

"Oh!" Sheppard seemed to remember that Ronon hadn't been here all the time.

"Belus Maltai this is Ronon Dex. He belongs to our team." John introduced them with a small smile. "Belus and the others here belong to the _Vehwendi._"

Belus greeted him with a slight bow, his arms crossed over his chest, while he answered with a nod.

After that Belus cleared his throat. "Are you talking about the lady, who went after our attackers?"

Ronon could feel the frown which started to build given by the way the man spoke.

"Yes," Sheppard nodded. "Ronon and she separated to follow the men and she isn't back yet. Maybe she lost her way."

"Or maybe the cat is playing with her prey," Rodney muttered under his breath and Ronon was sure that he was the only one who had heard it. He gave McKay a warning glance but wasn't sure if he maybe had made a good point. At least Kaylena had enjoyed the _hunt _as much as he did. He had seen it in her eyes the moment before they separated.

"I really hope nothing happened to her," The man spoke again and Ronon got the impression he paled a little bit. He seemed really worried which only fed the bad feeling in his guts to a level he really didn't like.

"She risked her life for us without being forced to and I would be really ashamed if something happened to her," Belus repeated.

"Oh, don't worry. Kaylena can look after herself. You should worry for the man she's after." Sheppard tried to ease the situation with a impish smile but attained just the opposite.

Belus eyes downright flash with anger. "I will never feel sorry for these...these" Apparently he had troubles to find the right words in his too polite vocabulary. "these primal...animals!" He finally finished enraged. "The poor lady!" He added flowingly and returned to his concerned state.

Ronon could feel his eye brow rising but didn't say anything. Instead he looked around. Lorne and Campell both had a simultaneous grin on their lips while Rodney looked as if he had choked his tongue.

He exchanged a look with Teyla who mimicked his expression. All of them knew too well that the _poor lady _had her primal parts too.

"Uhm...as I said. I'm sure she is okay." Sheppard tried again but touched his earpiece.

"The forest jam the signal!" Rodney started who had noticed Johns action.

"Yes," Belus added. "Unfortunately not even ancient technology is able to pierce through it. The _Askari _knew that!" With every word his voice got louder and louder till he sounded as outraged as before.

"The _Askari_?" Teyla asked carefully.

"Yes the men which tried to kidnap us!" He hissed.

They all changed a quick glance but seemed to decide that it would be the best to let Teyla continue.

"They are not _Vehwendi_?" The Athosean dug further.

"By the Ancestors no!" Apparently Belus was shocked about this allegation.

"But..." Sheppard started only to be interrupted by Teyla's firm voice.

"We don't know much about this planet so we have no idea of the local incidents." Like always Teyla managed it perfectly to sooth the situation.

"Of course!" Belus called out and Ronon wondered that he didn't threw himself on the ground to apologise. Somehow this all was strange. His eyes flickered to the rest of the group who stand nearly motionless together and watched them.

"My people are the _Vehwendi _but these two men belong to the _Askari_. Our peoples lived all times in..." Maybe he sensed that he got a little to deep into the subject. "Well we had a lot of problems. But our dear Princess Anysha wished to end the fights. So she proposed a marriage and Cahal, the leader of the _Askari, _agreed to it. But five days ago this...this" Again his vocabulary didn't seem big enough, so he repeated the only affront he apparently knew. "This animal kidnapped her. He only agreed to get hands on her, to blackmail us."

His guts told him what Belus wanted to say even before he spoke again and his inner part raged, with primal fear, in its cage.

"And I fear now he has hands on your lady too."

* * *

Slowly Kaylena started to turn around. _S_he didn't like her position one bit. Surrounded. It made the hairs on her neck stand straight. There were too many men to take them all out in one attack, so she carefully eyed them as good as possible, never lowering her guns.

She knew she should be afraid but there was no such a feeling. Of course she cared about her life. Today maybe more than a few month ago. Defiantly. But all she could feel was excitement. Her chest wasn't raising and falling as rapidly after the long run as it maybe would have, without the new danger. She could feel her skin tickling like before and her blood was rushing so loud through her body that she almost missed the voice.

"Strong and superior aren't we? With two weapons. Really I'm impressed." The voice was dark and hoarse. Immediately her eyes snapped to the source of the voice, while her weapons remained where they were.

The man was roughly her height, which wasn't small, but strong build like most of the others. His hair was long and something between brown and black but neatly bound back in his neck. He was clothed like the others in leather and cotton in the colours of the forest and all of them moved in a way which told that they spent a lot time in this surrounding.

But this was the leader. It wasn't the fact that he had spoken which made it clear. It was the way he hold his self upright and looked at her with surprisingly blue eyes.

She turned her head slightly to the side as if she had to think about his words. Truth to be told she found it really funny. He mocked her because of her weapons, while they were in the superior number? Eleven men against one. She was maybe quick but sure as hell not quick enough to bring eleven men down.

She would loose. One way or the other. And somehow this thought eased her, even amused her in a way. Who would have guessed that it would end like this?

Somehow he must have noticed the small smile on her lips because she could see his eyes darken immediately.

"Maybe you want to share your amusement with us?" He growled apparently trying to frighten her and failing miserably.

"None of you would bring me down in a fair fight!" She heard herself suddenly declare and Mr. Furious was almost screaming in delight. Slowly she lowered her guns and put them back into the holster.

There was a sound on her left side and she twirled around, her hands had already gripped her daggers and pushed them out, as two of the men rushed towards her. When she had lowered her guns they had sensed their chance but she was surprised as she heard the voice of the leader yell.

"Stop it!"

Both men stopped dead in their track and looked confused at their leader.

"Put your weapons down." He ordered and she wasn't surprised that some of the men growled in protest.

"All of you!" He shouted angrily. "You know the rules." He added and even she had no idea what that rules were about, they seemed to be on her side.

Without further hesitation also the last men lowered his weapon.

She looked at the dark haired man again and waited a few moments before she put her daggers away to make sure that everyone noticed, she didn't do it on his orders.

He smirked at her and she could feel his eyes roaming over her body searching for her weak spots.

"So," He stretched the word. "You longed for a fair fight you will get it!" The expression on his face was a mix of dislike and respect.

And before she could say anything he yelled two names and the selected rushed forward. Both smiling wickedly and apparently full of themselves.

She brought herself in a good position and let Mr. Furious reach the surface. It was time to play. One last time.

Both men came from the same direction but in their effort to reach her they forgot about the advantage of a good coordinated attack. So they challenged each other in their run. Each one wanted to be the first to hit her.

The smaller one reached her first and didn't seem to expect any reaction of her. Not even that she simply stepped to the side and raised up her leg. With a surprised groan he stumbled and hit the ground.

She could hear the laughs of the other men but had no time to enjoy the situation in a similar way. The second opponent was already there. His right fist dashed surprisingly quick down to her face but she was able to block it in the last moment, with left forearm and did the same with her right one, as his other fist tried to finish what he started.

Kaylena didn't loose time to take advantage of the situation. Without any mercy she rammed her knee between his legs. He moaned in pain and bend forward in a natural reaction, while his arms tried to secure his middle. Now her way was free and her fist crushed hard on his cheek. He stumbled and joined his friend on the ground who was about to rise up again. Without hesitation she introduced his face to her foot and knocked him out.

She twirled around to the tall man and bared her teeth.

"Next!" She snarled and earned an annoyed growl.

"Barker! Ashar! Damin!" He yelled.

With a speed which confirmed her, that this permission was everything they had waited for, all three stormed forward. This time her attackers came from different directions.

Two from her left side and one from behind. The need to turn around, so that she could face them all, cost her valuably time. And she had another problem. They would reach her all at the same time. So she did the only thing to surround that fact. Snarling darkly she rushed forward to reach the one who had originally attacked her from behind. That would give her only a little bit more time but at the moment she had no better idea.

The primal part in her which was happily pumping the adrenaline through her body made her quick and raised her reflexes. And a split second before she reached him she threw herself to her knees, lent her upper body back and slipped under his right hand which he had stretched out to grip her.

Kaylena didn't allow herself to wonder that her move worked, rather she jumped to her feet again. Now behind her attacker she stuck out kicked him. But she didn´t have more time than to kick him off his balance. The moment he hit the ground the other two appeared at her side. She couldn´t dodge the first strike and felt a throbbing pain in her right side. Only a moment later a second fist hit her.

But this time instead of pain she felt only fury. Of course it was a wonder that it had taken so long till she got hit. She knew that. She also knew that pain affected her differently than normal people.

Instead of moaning in pain the ache fed her primal part with affirmation. It made her wild and strong. It called to her that it wasn't necessary any longer to hold back. There were too much men for her to win this challenge. And without an happy ever after there was no need to worry about loosing control.

But something held her back. Something in her didn't want to give up and to unleash the beast would ruin every possible future.

_Ronon. _

That thought nearly cost her the change to dodge the next hit. Nearly. Suddenly her reflexes kicked in again and she found herself in a quick sequence of hits and blocks. She kicked and hit with everything she had.

Her speed rose with every move and suddenly she was dancing. _Diriji _in its purest form. And for the first time she was one with her inner part. It was not the one or the other side of her self. The wild or the subdued part. Only Kaylena.

She barley noticed that the other three she had send to the ground where up again –also attacking her. Kaylena couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed a real fight this much. But suddenly it didn't felt very difficult to hold her self upright.

Sweat run down her back but she didn't stop in her moves. Hitting, kicking, jumping, dodging and twirling around she gave them the hell of a challenge.

She had lost her sense of time as the superior number of the men resulted in the only possible way: she hit the ground. And with the throbbing pain in her back reality seemed to hit her for the first time since she had started running.

And from one moment to the other she felt rather stupid for her earlier thoughts. Except for the part which was about Ronon; and her inner part was screaming with fear.

She had lost and loosing meant she would die. And dying meant she wouldn't see Ronon again. And that meant that she never had the chance to tell him...

"Stop!" The voice wasn't only interrupting her thoughts it was also interrupting the men from taking advantage of their superior position.

Slowly her eyes focused on her surrounding and she noticed that only three of her attackers where still standing. Each of them was bleeding out of several wounds and now moving a step back.

Intense blue eyes appeared over her and eyed her with a curious expression.

"By the ancestors sake! Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same!" She snapped and from the expression in his eyes she could see that she had irritated him.

"I am Cahal Feywen leader of the _Askari_!" The man answered with a proud voice.

TBC

* * *

HeavenlyKitten / Lil-Ginger-Snap / Gladishiva thank you so much for your review. It really makes me smile everytime someone tells me, he or she enjoys my story. Its nice to know you could someone else happy, just by writing down the images in your head...^^ And there is so much more...


	14. Princess Anysha

Disclaimer:look chapter one

A/N: I promised to update more often...so here it is.

Enjoy

* * *

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: PRINCESS ANYSHA

"Please, tell us again," Teyla had asked Belus politely but for the first time he seemed to be aware of his surrounding. He had looked at the others and then back to Teyla.

"It's not safe here. We should go back to the city and..."

"No!" Ronon had interrupted him instantly and Belus winced at the menacing tone of his voice. "I'm going nowhere till she's back!"

"Easy buddy," Sheppard had raised his hands but this time Ronon hadn't been in the mood for some typical earth easygoing. "I'm sure you understand that we can't leave, when one of our people is still out there," John added and had pointed vaguely in the direction where Kaylena had disappeared a while ago.

"Of course!" Again Belus had sounded shocked for only making this suggestion. "But if it's true and they have captured her..." Again Ronon hadn't let him finish that trail of thought.

He had gripped his gun and stiffened instantly. "I will find her!"

Lorne and Campell had immediately agreed and gripped their own weapons.

"But what is if they come back?"

"Co-come back?" Rodney had stuttered.

"I'm sure they will come back with a bigger group. That's their general practise."

Snarling darkly Ronon had doubted that this could be a problem for him or the others. And in case that they harmed Kaylena... His thoughts had been interrupted as Belus went on.

"Maybe the _Pawahka _can help to find your lady."

"Pawahka?"

"Oh, forgive me," Belus had pledged and Ronon had his difficulties to keep his patience. "_Pawahka _are animals with a very good nose. If you have something, containing her scent they will be able to find her."

In the end he had agreed to follow them into the city. He wasn't happy with that decision and unlike the others he had no eyes for astonishing architecture of the the ancient looking city.

"It's unbelievable," Rodney muttered while he stared at the design which was so similar to the style of Atlantis. "This must be another outpost." His eyes were permanently shifting between his pad and the magnificent surrounding. "It's a lot of times smaller and not as imposing as Atlantis but not bad either."

"I'm glad to hear that and I'm sure Prince Mael will also be pleased."

"Prince?" He heard Teyla's voice and saw the others exchange a quick look.

"Yes. The younger brother of our Princess."

"How many people live here?"

Ronon listened only half hearted to the following dialogue. It concerned mostly the city and its ancient technology or the people and their concern about their missing princess.

All he was interested in was finding Kaylena and he couldn't understand that the others had such patience.

"We both know that she can watch her back," he heard Lorne mutter nearly voiceless in Campell's direction. Apparently he was not the only one who was concerned for her well being.

"She draws trouble like honey bees!" Ryan hissed back.

"Get a grip everything will be fine!"

Ronon glanced over at the two and noticed the worried expression which showed for a split second on Lorne's face. Then he was professional again but Ronon had seen enough to know better than that. He was aware of the fact, that both men had become quite close to Kaylena in a platonic way, something like older brothers. Both knew her skills well enough to fathom that something wasn't right.

Before they had walked to the city they had waited several more minutes but Kaylena didn't come back and his guts had twisted once more in a painful manner. Something must have happened to her.

Sheppard mused that she maybe had lost her orientation but Ronon had seen in his face that he didn't believe in his own explanation.

Kaylena had spent six years on her own. A person like her wouldn't just loose her way in a forest. Someone in her position either learned to sharpen their senses and develop something like a six sense or got killed. After all Kaylena had been through, Ronon had no doubt about her survival skills.

"Please wait a moment!" Those words pulled him out of his thoughts. He saw Belus leaving and for the first time he recognised that they were standing in some kind of audience room. Damn he should show a little bit more attention to his surrounding.

He looked around and wasn't surprised when he noticed that the room looked similar to the ones on Atlantis. Only that this one was a little more decorated. He noticed it with a shrug of his shoulders. The only things catching his attention were the chairs in the middle of the room. They looked like thrones and likely they were exactly that.

"I've seen something similar," John mumbled, apparently not thrilled.

"The tower?" Teyla asked even everybody of them knew the answer.

"Yeah," the Colonel mumbled and stared at the chair. "It was the control panel for the drones. I ask myself what the second throne is made for?"

"It's for the shield." With a swift movement everybody turned around to find out who had answered Sheppard's question.

The soft female voice belonged to a pretty woman who had entered the room through a door on their left. Like Belus she was dressed in light colours, only that she was wearing a skirt which rustled lightly over the floor as she crossed the room. Something in her bearing showed him that she was of noble ancestry.

"Our people always have a couple as their leaders. The control panels are linked and it's necessary to use them together to get access to all their functions," she explained.

"You say they are linked?" Rodney asked with interest in his voice but was interrupted by Sheppard took a step in her direction.

"Don't get me wrong but you are not Prince Mael, right?" John asked with one of his best charming smiles. "Not that I would be complaining about that."

Ronon changed a quick look with Teyla who managed, unlike Rodney, not to roll her eyes.

"I'm Akaha Nal'Doron, aunt of Princess Anysha and Prince Mael." And like Belus she crossed her hands over her chest and bowed slightly.

"Oh, well," Sheppard started, "these are Teyla Emagan, Dr. Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Ryan Campell, Evan Lorne and I'm John Sheppard," he finished.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Akaha told them with a warm smile. "Belus told me that you rescued him and the others from the _Askari._ I want to thank you in the name of all of our people." Unlike Belus she sounded polite and honest, not effusive and Ronon was glad about it. The man had started to get on his nerves.

"Uhm...yeah no problem. Truth to be told it was Ronon and Kaylena who saved your people from being kidnapped."

"Then our thanks belong to you," she added in Ronon's direction but hesitated a moment later. "Belus has told me already that the lady is missing."

Ronon growled in agreement.

"Of course we will do anything we can, to help you in your search for her."

Ronon really hoped that would be pretty soon, because his patience was getting thinner and thinner.

"What's with your princess?" Sheppard asked suddenly and Ronon shot him a deadly glance which he ignored.

Sighing deeply Akaha stepped a little closer and Ronon was able to see the worry in her eyes. The same he had seen in Belus. Apparently the _Vehwendi _really liked their leader.

"Anysha is a good leader. She is young but she is always committed to constantly strife for the best for our people. She honors our traditions but on the other side she tries to find new ways." She smiled a quick smile before she got on. "There is an old vendetta between the _Vehwendi _and the _Askari_ people and Anysha´s greatest wish is to settle the differences," Akaha told them and although it sounded all very nice Ronon really had no ear for their problems.

Every minute they spent in this city was a lost minute. Either the _Vehwendi_ helped them with these special animals or he would search for Kaylena on his own. He felt a light touch on his arm and noticed that it was Teyla's hand. The _Athosean_ had noticed his restlessness and tried to calm him without words. For the moment he let her.

"Anysha wanted to solve the ancient feud between our people and the barbaric _Askari_. that´s why she made a proposal to Cahal the leader of the _Askari_. He agreed to a royal marriage. It surprised us all but he was obviously interested in the same subject."

"But?" Sheppard dug further when she didn't continue after a while.

"It is tradition that the future bridal couple walks towards each other and meets midway. Anysha followed this tradition and that was the last time we heard from her. They kidnapped her. Of course Cahal denied that but we know that he is lying!"

"Why are you so sure about that?" It was Lorne who had asked the question and everyone turning to him now. "What? It's a sensible question isn´t it?"

"Who else should have done it?" Akaha hissed, suddenly not so calm any more.

"Well, the forest is deep maybe she lost her way," Sheppard assumed.

"Yeah, or she's been attacked by a wild animal," Rodney dropped in bluntly.

"Rodney!" Sheppard and Teyla hissed at the same moment.

"What? It´s only an option," the scientist defended himself.

"No, it´s okay," Akaha nodded. "Of course we thought of something like that, too. We sent our best _Pawahkas _after her but only her clothes had been found."

"Whoever captured her, knew about these Pawaks," Sheppard mused.

"_Pawahkas_!" Akaha corrected him. "Yes. And apart from Cahal there is nobody who could have an interest in kidnapping her. And beside that he is the one who had the best opportunity to do so."

"But..." Sheppard started again yet Ronon interrupted him with a low growl. It was enough now. He hadn't agreed to come to this city to talk about the princess and her disappearance.

Again he felt Teyla's soothing touch but this time he had no interest in being calm again. Before he could say anything Teyla had already interfered smiling at the older woman.

"Please, excuse him. He..." she interrupted herself, "we are all very concerned about our friend and Belus mentioned the possibility of using the _Pawahkas _to find her. If it's the _Askari _who hold her captive, they will be clever enough to get rid of her clothes, too, to make it impossible to find her this way."

This association inevitably forced a dark snarl from his throat and the others winced uncomfortable at his angry attitude. Only Teyla remained calm.

"In case your guess is right and they have both women we can´t afford to loose more time. If we use the _Pawahkas _right now, it's possible to find the princess by finding Kaylena."

From the expression on her face it was clear, that Akaha hadn't thought in this direction but it only needed a second to get her excited.

"By the ancestors! I didn't think this way but maybe you are right!" Her body stiffened visibly and Ronon knew that it was from the small pike of hope fighting against resignation. In the end she swallowed audibly and nodded.

"I already ordered them to get the _Pawahkas _ready for you. If you are right –if we find her this way we...There are no words to describe it. We would always be in your debt," she assured them and for the first time there were real emotions in her voice.

"It would be a pleasure to help you," John grinned and looked a little uncertain over to him. Only now did Ronon notice that he had started spinning his gun and he fought hard to put it back.

"But I need something smelling of your missing lady," Akaha told them and was inevitably confronted with helpless faces. In the end it seemed that everybody was looking expectantly at him.

Ignoring them all he pulled out a thin piece of cloth. It was something like a scarf which Kaylena sometimes used to braid it in her hair. She had lost it the night they watched the movies together and he picked it up but forgot to gave it back.

No, actually he hadn't been sure if he really wanted to give it back and now he was happy he didn't. It still smelled of her- the hard to describe unique scent which was unmistakeably Kaylena- and he really hoped that these animals were as good as Belus had told them.

* * *

For a long silent moment Kaylena stared in Cahal´s eyes and he did nothing but stoically stare back. Maybe he also tried to assess her like she tried to do with him. In the end he reached out his hand in a silent demand to get up. After a second of hesitation she gripped it and allowed him to lift her up.

His men moved a step back and made some room for her. Slowly she felt for her weapons without only once turning her eyes from the man. Everything was in its place, so she lowered her hands in a more comfortable position.

"Will you tell me your name, now?" Cahal grumbled. She was about to answer him when she recognised the second man from the hunt. Her eyes turned into narrow slits and before anybody could react she was in front of him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"Where is he?" she snarled furiously.

His only answer was a cruel little smile which hit her like a fist. With a furious scream -which even frightened herself- she had brought him down. She settled herself on his chest and her hands clawed down onto his face without any control. Her nails left deep red marks on his skin and she heard him screaming in a mix of pain and shock about her primal attack. Kaylena didn't care, but the next moment she felt rough hands on her trying to pull her back and restrain her.

"Get that beast away from me!" the bleeding man under her screamed in pain but that only doubled her effort and at first it seemed that she would succeed but soon enough she was lifted up into the air, struggling wildly against the man who pulled her away from her prey.

"Where is Ronon?" she hissed and this time there was a fearful undertone in her voice, while she kicked and wiggled in her effort to get free. But whoever had gripped her knew what he was doing. Even though her feet where still free, she didn't have enough space to move her hands.

"Enough now!" Cahal roared again but she didn't stop struggling. She was exhausted form the fight but the fear that something had happened to Ronon filled her with energy again.

The eyes of the _Askarian _leader seemed to flash in anger but he seemed to notice that there was only one way to calm her.

"Answer her question, Reven!"

Reven looked at his leader as if he had lost his mind but seemed to know better than to disobey a direct order.

"I don't know! I was able to escape him."

These simple sentences managed to achieve what pure force couldn´t do. And from one second to the other Kaylena felt herself relaxing. She barley noticed the eased sigh from the man who had tried his best to hold her, but she noticed that she was standing on her feet again. The restraining hands were still there but only lightly. A silent reminder of the fact that she was the inferior one here.

She didn't care. All she could do at the moment was sighing deeply. The next thing she felt was shame and anger about herself. How could she loose self-control so quickly? If she had thought about it, it had been only logical that Ronon had lost the track. Even she was able to hold her self against six of them. They would have been no match for Ronon, with or without weapons, and one man alone was nothing for him.

"So one last time –your name!" Cahal´s impatient call ripped her out of her thoughts and she reminded herself that she was still in trouble.

"Kaylena Lirren," she answered this time.

"I feel honoured that you decided to answer me finally," he snapped sarcastically.

"And I'm amazed about the warm heated welcome!" she snapped back.

"Watch your tongue, little lady!" he hissed and she could feel her eyes closing to dangerous slits again. "After all you are in _my _forest and assailed _my _men."

"You are the one who should watch his tongue. The moment you call me _little lady _again I will rip it out of your mouth!" she snarled and could feel the pressure on her shoulders increase immediately.

_Oh great, Kaylena, you should just shut up now and then! _

Of course this clever thought appeared not until she had already spoken out loud. But instead of hitting her or worse, he only snorted.

"A spitfire, are we?"

"And a pretty one, maybe we should show her..." one of the man started and her head snapped around at an almost painful speed. It was the man she had hunted.

"Shut up!" Cahal yelled. "Or next time we will discuss the remaining of your tongue."

She could see the man pale instantly, so she guessed Cahal wasn't only a man of words but also of action.

"Maybe you will tell me why you hunt my men?" Cahal turned his attention back to her." Did the _Vehwendi _send you to kill me?"

It took her a moment to answer and she felt a deep frown appearing on her forehead.

"I have hunted him," she nodded in the direction of the still pale man, "because he and his friend," this time she nodded in the direction of the man she had clawed in the face, " had tried to kidnap a group of people."

Before she could go on Cahal´s head snapped around. "Is that true? Reven? Del?" His voice was ice cold and it was getting clearer and clearer that it would be better for her to show him a little respect. It wouldn't be good for her to attract his anger.

_Very funny, Kaylee, a little late for that advice, hmm?_

"She is lying!" Reven snapped and her frown deepened.

"Yeah! We were on the hunt as this one," the man who had been called Del pointed a finger in her direction, "and a really tall guy suddenly appeared and started to hunt us."

"We thought the _Vehwendi _hadsent them to kill us so we decided to run as fast as we could." Reven told Cahal angry. "And you have seen her fighting, brother! What else should a person like her do here?"

"There is an easy trick you know," Kaylena snapped enraged and failed again to keep just quiet. "Just ask!"

Somehow her answer seemed to be amusing. Even though she couldn't see the man behind her, she could see that Cahal was exchanging a quick grin with him.

"Has no one taught you, when it´s be better to just keep quiet?" Cahal asked her, but he didn't sound angry and instead of feeling pissed she just rolled her eyes.

"My Commander tried his best but failed," she answered astonishing truthfully. "And he never forgot to remind me that in the end everything was just my fault because I couldn't bite my tongue."

Her answer forced some of the men to a low chuckle and even Cahal was grinning.

"I´d say the man was right."

"Cahal!" Reven hissed. "We should kill her before she kills us and then we´ll hunt her friend."

Instantly she stiffened again and her head snapped around to focus on Reven and for a satisfying second she saw pure fear in his still bleeding face. Then he seemed to remember that she was no threat for him any longer and showed her a slight grin.

"I would be careful if I were you," a dark male voice growled behind her. To her surprise he didn´t address her. "The distance from here to you isn't that far. She might escape my hold –she is surprisingly strong for a woman." There was a short pause before he added, "but I forgot that you knew that already!"

Within a fraction of seconds Reven´s smile vanished and he stared at the man behind her and it was obvious that the two men didn't like each other.

Cahal said nothing, only shook his head a little and that was apparently enough to calm the man behind her. Whoever it was, she decided that she somehow liked him.

"Let us follow your advice," Cahal smiled dryly. "I ask you; why are you here and what do you want from my people?"

_Get a grip Kaylena! Don't be grumpy again._

"My friends and I..." she started only to be interrupted.

"There are more?"

"Yes. Seven people including me. We came here to trade with your people," she hesitated a moment, "I mean with the _Vehwendi. _I didn't even know that there was a second group of people. I've never heard of the _Askari._"

"I would say the same, if I were you," Del snapped but was quiet again when Cahal´s eyes focused on him.

"What do you want to trade?"

"Well, we are interested in some of their technology. I'm not sure what my people want to offer them in change. After all I'm a warrior not a marketer."

"Oh, well. I noticed that," he assured her and she shrugged her shoulders. "So? What else?" he wanted to know.

"We came through the gate and had been searching for the city when I heard someone cry for help. Ronon heard it, too, and we ran forward to the source of the noises. And when we arrived at the scene we saw these two." Again she nodded in their direction. "The moment they noticed us they let go of the people and tried to escape, so we went after them."

"That's a lie!" Reven yelled and she send him an angry look.

"Listen, sweetheart," she hissed in his direction,"if I had come here to kill you, I can assure you, that you would be dead already." She looked his stature up and down and shook her head. "It's not as if you were a match for me. And at least not for Ronon," she snorted and like she had hoped he rushed forward with an angry face.

Kaylena grinned dryly. Some things never changed and the ego of a man was always the easiest target.

Before Del reached her Cahal stopped his brother.

"Calm down!" he hissed and after a short moment he added, "after all she is right. I've seen her fighting."

Reven´s eyes were liquid fire as he looked at her but she didn't grant him a second look.

"You say the _Vehwendi _didn't send you to kill me?"

The frown was back on her forehead. "Why should they do that? A long time has passed since I last visited this planet, but as far as I recall the _Vehwendi _are peaceful people."

Although she had only been a kid, she remembered them as friendly, sweet and helpful.

"Not when it's about their Princess," he told her and that pulled another long lost memory to the surface.

"Anysha?" she asked astonished, not sure if she was perplex about his answer or about the fact that she remembered the name of the, golden haired, girl she and her sister had played several hours with.

"You know her?" The _Askarian _leader asked her with a careful voice now.

"Yes. No." She sighed. "We were something like friends when we were kids," she told him, even though friends was a bit exaggerated. "Did something happen to her?"

Slowly his eye-brow rose up. "You have really no idea?"

"As I told you before, we were on our way to the city but before we could speak to anybody these two interrupted our plans."

"Someone has kidnapped her and now the _Vehwendi _argue that I'm the bad guy."

"Why you?" she asked confused.

Cahal hesitated for a moment, apparently he was surprised by her reaction. "Because she was on her bridal walk towards me and..."

"You?!" Kaylena snapped and took a quick glance around before she focused on Cahal again. "She is going to marry _you_?"

"Surprised?"

"Yes! You can say that," she snorted and was again surprised when Cahal started to chuckle lowly and amused.

"Believe me, I too! I still have troubles to realise that it's true."

Now she was totally confused before it dawned her. "You are speaking of a political marriage?"

"Yes, of course," he nodded. "How would a man like me become the fiancé of a princess other wise?"

Perplexed she looked at him. Her eyes roamed over him for a second and what she saw convinced her that a lot of women wouldn't have any troubles to become engaged to a man like him. Princess or not. He wasn't exactly hard on the eyes although she´d eat her tongue before saying that loud.

Although he didn't say anything his satisfied grin nearly screamed _liked what you see? _

She couldn't help the very unladylike like snort that escaped her but apparently Cahal found her very amusing. If his chuckles said anything about him in that matter.

"What now? What's with Anysha?"

Within seconds he was serious again. "I don't know. It wasn´t me who captured her. I agreed to the marriage for the same reasons she had made this proposal: For a better future for my people. For both of our people. It's the best way to end the disputes between the _Askari _and _Vehwendi _we ever had and I'm not so stupid to throw away that chance thoughtlessly."

Kaylena looked him straight in the eyes and it wasn't that hard to figure out that he wasn't lying.

"The moment I agreed to this marriage she had not only my word she had also my protection. I would never do anything to her and wouldn't allow someone to do so."

She opened her mouth but remembered in good time, that it wouldn't be a good idea to remind him that he had failed. Instead she took a deep breath and tried another way.

"I guess you have tried to find her?"

"Of course," he yelled and she was glad that she had thought twice for this time.

"How do you know she is still on this planet?"

"No one has dialled out since she vanished. The _Vehwendi _put out the control crystal."

"Oh, not again!" she muttered under her breath and tried for the first time to get completely free of the hands, which were still on her shoulders. After a nearly invisible nod from Cahal the man behind her let go of her and she suppressed the urge to turn around. Instead she focused on Cahal.

"How long is she gone?"

"Four days."

"Cahal, be careful," Reven suddenly added. "You cannot trust her. Maybe this all is a trick!"

This time she decided to ignore the man. "Who could have an interest in kidnapping her? Or better in foreclosing your wedding?"

"Cahal!"

"Enough now!" the dark haired man hissed in the direction of his brother before he looked at Kaylena again. "Unfortunately there are a lot of people who were not thrilled about Anysha´s decision to marry me."

She nodded and tried to think about her options. On the one side she wanted to look for the others- and she was pretty sure they were already searching for her. Especially Ronon and she didn't want them to worry about her. But on the other hand she was pretty sure, even though she and Cahal were now able to speak nearly normal to each other, he was far away from letting her go. In the end there was only one way left for her to follow.

She had to find Anysha.

"Maybe I can help you to find her?" The frown on Cahal´s forehead forced her to go on. "Look, even if I lied and the _Vehwendi _had _sent_ me, I would still be looking for Anysha, right?"

He hesitated a short moment then nodded in agreement. "Right!"

"So, you have nothing to loose. If I understood you correctly, you have nothing to do with this all and would be pleased to get hands on whoever did that to her." The dark growl was answer enough to ensure her that he didn´t hav a hand in the abduction of the princess and that it wouldn't be a nice experience for whoever had harmed her.

"Let´s search together. Maybe the eyes of a stranger see more than you expect."

The blue eyes focused on her with an icy look but in the end they warmed up a little and he even surprised her with a smile. "Alright," he nodded. "I really hope you are as good as a tracker than as a fighter!"

"Me, too!" she grinned dryly.

"It´s time to leave this place," Cahal growled and looked around. Most of the men hadn't said anything during their little talk but started discussing this and that now with their friends as they turned around to leave this place.

"Count me in," she mumbled again and glanced over to Del and Reven who were standing close together, talking quietly. They noticed her stare and glared angrily over at her. Apparently they tried to frighten her and she couldn't keep her self from snorting.

"Come on, lets go!" The dark voice ripping her out of her thoughts, belonged to the man who had stood behind her the whole time. Now he was besides her and she eyed him up.

Kaylena wasn't surprised to find out that he was tall and well-build. His hair was dark and long like Cahal´s, but loose. It took her a moment to notice that this served to cover several deep scars on his left side of his face. These weren't the only ones. Even though he wore long leather pants and a long sleeved shirt she recognised the marks of a scar on his neck and she was sure, his clothes hid a lot more of them. His whole form looked rigid and strong and she understood why Reven was afraid of this man. He could possible rip a person apart without any effort.

But apparently he wasn't up to do it to her and she remembered that she had decided to like the man, several minutes ago. So she gave him a smile and was surprised to receive one in return. He had dark grey eyes which fit in the picture of the dangerous man but now as he smiled she was surprised to find out that they turned into a warmer shade of grey.

After a moment she nodded in Reven´s direction.

"He is lying," she told him.

"I know!"

TBC


	15. Loosing the touch

Disclaimer: look chapter one

* * *

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: LOOSING THE TOUCH

"Okay, okay...this will bring us nowhere," Sheppard sighed and Ronon was fully aware of the nervous glances everybody send in his direction. He didn't even try to hide his annoyance.

Ronon had told them from the beginning that it would be the best to form as many groups as _Pawahkas _were available, but the _Vehwendi _had insisted on forming two large groups instead. It was frustrating and brought them nowhere, as Sheppard had said.

He had never been a very patient man but he had really tried to hold his temper. Yet enough was enough, he wasn't willing to risk Kaylena's safety, only because these people were afraid of the _Askari_.

Their group was too big. They were too loud and too slow. Had it been possible, he would have picked up the leash of one of the _Pawahkas _and left them behind. Unfortunately the animals obeyed only their leader.

He eyed the strange creatures with admiring glance. Animals had never been something he had felt connected to. Surely he had hunted them and more then one time he had been hunted by them during the run and he had been astonished by one or two creatures he had been forced to fight. But never before had he admired an animal.

Ronon wasn't sure what he had expected them to be like but surely not this. The creatures owned a long muscular body which was tall enough to reach his knees. Their sharp ears and the long tail never seemed to stop in their movement. They reminded him somehow of the wildcats he had seen in some earth movie but their muzzles were longer and their fur was in permanent change so that they looked always like their surrounding.

Their fangs were too long to be hidden and seemed to blink dangerously every time they moved their heads. In spite of their heavy muscular bodies their movements were soundless. In Ronon's eyes they were as perfect as an animal could come to perfection.

Natural born predators and he felt a sudden jolt of sadness that these creatures had been captured and tamed even though he knew that he would be a dead man if they had been wild and free.

"...not possible! What if the _Askari _find us. We won't be able to defend us," one of the _Vehwendi _whined and aroused Ronon's attention. It was the man who _lead _the group and Ronon recognised him also as the one who hadn't been trilled about their suggestion to separate.

"We will never find them if we remain in this large group," Lorne tried. "We are too slow and too loud by the way," the Major added and spoke out lout what he was thinking.

Ronon knew that Lorne and Campell were as anxious to find Kaylena as he was. Over the last month they had grown quite close and she had almost become something like a sister for them -Kaylena had more then once rolled her eyes about their protective manners.

"But it's too dangerous!" the man he remembered as Dartinwhined again and Ronon had no doubt why they hadn't found their princess yet.

"I will show you dangerous!" he growled and stepped towards him. He had had enough of this cowards.

"Ronon!" John tried but he wasn't in the mood.

"No!" he snarled. "We have wasted enough time!" Ronon gripped his gun and looked around till he faced the direction where he had lost her.

"What are you up to?" Campell asked.

"Finding her!"

He was about to disappear, when one of the _Pawahka _leaders raised her voice. None of them had spoken, apart from the moment they had given their animals the order to search for Kaylena. He was surprised when she asked for permission to accompany him.

"But it's dangerous!"

This time he wasn't the only one who gripped his gun tighter. Apparently Lorne and Campell were as annoyed about the man's words as he was, while Sheppard seemed slightly nervous about his possible actions.

Ronon was sure it wasn't the first time the Colonel wished Teyla hadn't gone with the other group.

"I know," nodded the woman shortly. "But finding the woman eventually means to find Princess Anysha. I'm willing to risk it." Her voice was emotionless and cool but somehow he had the feeling that she was likewise annoyed of the man's behaviour.

"I'm not sure if I can allow that!"

This time his growl was so low and deep that even the _Pawahkas _looked in his directions and fixed him for a moment with interest in their black eyes, while the man obviously winced.

"I-I…" Dartin stammered and looked in the direction of the other _Vehwendi _for support but no one felt the urge to help him out or maybe they were utterly afraid of Ronon.

"Look," the Colonel raised his hands and obviously tried his best to ease the situation. "Ronon isn't a very patient man under normal circumstances but when it comes to Kaylena you better don't stand in his way."

The _Vehwendi _send a nervous glance between him and Sheppard but didn't dare to speak.

"I can understand that you are afraid of these _Askari _people but why don't you allow this woman to search with Ronon and we others stay together. In that case there is no reason for you to be afraid and Ronon can get rid of his anger on one of the _Askari _instead of you," John proposed with an innocent face but his words didn't fail his effect.

The man's eyes were huge as saucers and he looked sheer terrified in his direction. To prove that Sheppard's insinuation wasn't baseless he snarled again.

"O-Okay may-maybe you have...have a point there," Dartin stuttered and swallowed hard without taking his eyes of Ronon.

"I bet you have," mumbled Campell and Ronon could see Lorne's miserable efforts to suppress his grin.

"T-Tonka will help you!"

Apparently Tonka was the leader who had willingly offered her help. Ronon looked at the blond woman and earned a slight nod. She didn't seem to be a fan of many words and needless gestures. He could barley resist to sigh in relief.

He nodded in Sheppard's direction and turned to the woman. He wanted to ask her for the direction but before he could open his mouth he had the impression she had shaken her head. He frowned slightly but didn't say anything and departed from the group without turning around again.

Tonka walked wordlessly beside him until they were out of sight and earshot for the others. He was positive that she wanted to tell him something but she didn't brake the silence for another few minutes before she finally stopped and her _Pawahka _with her.

"Are you a good runner?"

The question irritated him but he nodded, this woman didn't seem like someone who asked stupid questions.

"Are you afraid of Lynx?"

He needed a moment to realise that _Lynx _was apparently her _Pawahka._ He looked at the animal which stood motionless beside its leader. Only its ears and tail showed that it was more than aware of his surrounding.

His eyes snapped back to the woman and this time he answered her.

"No."

"You really want to find this woman?" For the first time it sounded more like a statement than a question but he nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah," he growled and suddenly he could sense a slight smile on her lips.

"Good. Now look me in the eyes and form a picture of her in your mind. Her Look. Smell. Sound. Taste. Everything you can give me," she instructed him and he could feel a deep frown on his forehead.

What was going on?

"If you want to find her do it!" Tonka told him in a firm voice and he nodded. He didn't care what he had to do to find Kaylena and if all he had to do was think of her he could manage that.

He did what Tonka told him and remembered the night Kaylena had slept in his arms. The way she looked framed in the dark strands of her hair, the sound of his name from her lips, the feel of her soft skin against his own and the sweet aroma of her hair as he burrowed his face into it. He couldn't get lost in a memory which implied her _taste,_ as Tonka had described it, which brought a wave of sadness and longing over him.

Ronon became aware of the fact that Pawahka leader could obviously read his mind or at least his cursorily emotions if he read the smile on her face right. With a furious snarl he broke the eye contact.

"Don't worry. I won't tell her," she chuckled lightly which did nothing to lighten up his mood. Tonka wasn't stupid and sensed that he wasn't far from losing his temper.

"Anyway. Your memory was good. It will help Lynx. I need the scarf again," she told him while she got down on her knees.

The frown returned on his forehead.

"That is the way we communicate with each other," Tonka who seemed aware of his confusion explained. "A _Pawahka _and his leader are linked. It's a lifetime companionship. I can see what he sees, hear what he hears, taste and feel what he tastes and feels and he is aware of my emotions and perceptions. It's a special bound and none of us will ever be happy without the other. If one of us dies the other will suffer and soon follow the other into death. To be a leader is likewise a blessing and a bane and there aren't a lot of willing _Vehwendi _who follow my way. The old way of the _Vehwendi._"

Her words surprised him. He had never heard of something like that before. It was truly fascinating but what really kept him wondering was that they hadn't done this procedure before. All the hours they had wasted running around without any success.

"Not all _Vehwendi _are anxious to help you and your friends," Tonka answered his unspoken question. He had guessed something like that.

It seemed not all wanted their beloved princess back.

"That is right!"

Ronon nodded thoughtfully. He didn't like the fact that she could read his mind but it would bring him nowhere if he yelled at her. There was nothing he could do about it and at least now he knew what she was capable of. He shrugged his shoulders before he nodded in Lynx´s direction.

This time it was Tonka who nodded and started to pet Lynx behind his ears which he answered with a low purr while he starred in the eyes of his leader. After a few moments both of them sniffed the scarf and a minute later Tonka was standing beside him.

"Ready?"

He nodded and without another word she unleashed Lynx who started the hunt.

Finally!

* * *

The first moment Kaylena had stepped through the trees into the _Askarian _place she thought she would be dreaming and it had cost her some strength not to drop her yaw.

If paradise had a place in the world she maybe had found it.

Well her imagination of paradise. Most people wouldn't agree with her, that was for sure. The _Askarian _camp was simply built and without any kind of technology. In fact everything seemed to be part of the nature.

The small huts were built out of wood and overgrown with moss and other small plants. Some were even covered with bright coloured flowers.

Some of the living places blended in so perfectly well with their surrounding that it took her some time to figure out how large this place really was. And it took her a few seconds more to discover that the Askari lived on more than one level.

Nearly every tree that was big and strong enough sheltered a tree houses connected through plank bridges.

These people lived not only _in _the nature they lived _with _it.

Kaylena couldn't really put her finger on it what made this place so wonderful but it was just perfect in her eyes. Calm and peaceful and...friendly as far as she could tell as she watched little children welcoming the men with happy laughs and wide spread arms. The women smiled brightly and waved their hands in their direction before they continued with whatever they had been occupied with before. One ore two even followed the example of their children and welcomed some of the men in their group which seemed to be their lovers or husbands.

Only the village men seemed to frown at Kaylena´s sight and eyed her up with a curious expression . Yet Cahal's presence near beside her seemed to be enough to calm them down and after she had convinced herself that there was be no danger at the moment she proceeded with her sightseeing.

"Like it?" She heard the deep voice of the grey eyed man beside her.

"It's...amazing!"

The moment Kaylena heard the low chuckle she noticed that her voice wasn't more than a barely audible breath and she hurried to clear her throat. She shook her head in the attempt to clear it likewise and turned to face him.

_Back to business_.

Cahal must have disappeared while she was busy looking around so she focused on -Eyes beside her.

They hadn't talked since they had left the fighting place and as far as she could tell he seemed to be fine with her silence. There were a lot of things she had to analyse in her mind while she likewise had tried to keep an eye on Reven and his friend Del.

Not an easy venture that was for sure. Both men seemed to be anxious to be out of her sight which only confirmed her more that something was wrong with them. But maybe it wasn't her watchful eyes they tried to escape.

Mr. Grey-Eyes was obviously none of their fans possibly he was the reason for their attitude. She doubted that but kept the thought in mind.

"My name is Kaylena Lirren," she informed him with a quiet but firm voice and reached out her hand.

For a second there was a puzzled glance in his eyes but he recovered quickly and gripped it. Of course she knew that he already knew her name but there was a big difference between a formal introduction and...well the way he had heard it the first time.

Apparently he sensed the difference too. His lips twisted lightly and again his eyes seemed to warm up. She liked that and smirked back.

"Fionn Andora."

She nodded and after another smile she turned her attention back to the camp.

Kaylena felt Finn´s eyes on her but she didn't let that distract her and Fionn said and did nothing to keep her from observing his people.

After a while she noticed a man walking in their direction. He looked so much like Cahal that it was impossible to oversee the fact that he was his brother.

He looked at her with a friendly smile which probable would have lulled her hadn't it been for Fionn's reaction. It wasn't much. In fact the only thing that gave him away was how he stiffened and straightened his body.

Within seconds she was alert. She didn't need to look at him to know that Fionn couldn't stand the man in front of her. For whatever reason Kaylena was sure it would be better to trust Fionn in this matter.

He didn't like Reven and Del so he seemed to have feeling for the wrong people.

"Andora," the approaching man greeted him in a voice that couldn't be named friendly even with the best intentions. "Don't you want to introduce me to your pretty friend?"

Fionn's whole answer was a low and dangerous growl that would have made Ronon green with envy.

"Fine, fine..." The man shrugged his shoulders and honoured her with his whole attention. Within seconds the friendly smile was back on his lips, which he seemed to have lost during his short encounter with Fionn.

"I am Aydren Feywen and you are?"

"Kaylena Lirren," she answered short and firm. They hadn't been here for more than fifteen minutes but she had no doubt that every single child knew already who she was. There had to be a reason for his appearing and six years on her own had forced her to expect wicked propositions first.

Before Aydren could open his mouth a second time Fionn intervened.

"Cahal is waiting. We have to go!" His voice was icy enough to froze a sea and she really began to ask herself what was going on between these two.

"Of course," Aydren nodded and starred daggers at the tall man beside her.

"We wouldn't want you to be late when your leader is calling you, would we?" Feywen mocked him.

"_Our_ leader. You should be more careful with your words. Somebody could come to think that you are no supporter of your brother."

The air was thick enough to cut it with a blunt knife and before Aydren could come around with an answer to Fionn's allegation she cut in.

"Fionn is right. I'm sure I caused enough trouble for one day. Your brother wouldn't be amused if I let him wait."

Aydren's jaw tightened to a point where she believed it couldn't hold the pressure and would break before he relaxed again.

From one moment to the other the perfect smile was back on his lips.

"Of course. You can say that Cahal isn't the one who's blessed with patience in our family."

_Unlike you, hu? _

"Yes, I noticed."

She wasn't sure what he expected of her but apparently her answer was good enough for him, since his smile brightened for a second before he looked at Fionn and it froze again.

"Andora!" he hissed and with that he turned around and left.

Kaylena was tempted to ask her new found friend with the good sense for assholes what by the ancestors sake that had been about, but the look on his face told her otherwise.

"Let's move. Cahal really isn't that patient."

by the time they reached the Askarian leader the others were already there. The next hour was spend with talking about her intentions and their possibilities to find Anysha.

On one or two points _her _patience was getting rather thin. But instead of telling them to get lost and start the search for the princess in a _Kayleena-style-of-way_ she remained silent.

At first it was Cahal who held her attention but soon her eyes started to wander over the group.

She wasn't surprised to see Del and Reven standing close to each other, both of them sending murderous glares in her direction. There were a few others who didn't hold back with their not so flattering opinion about her but she didn't give a damn. They were mostly pissed at the thought that a stranger -a woman no less- was trying to solve their problems.

_The male ego was really a fascinating thing. _

Most of the men simply trusted Cahal enough when it came to her so they only nodded and went on, while one or two even looked eager to haver her in their line.

_Yeah, human males...really fascinating! _

And that thought directed her eyes to a special individual: Aydren.

Something wasn't right with that man. He looked good, he was nice and polite -at least to her-but she wouldn't turn her back on him.

It wasn't the fact that he and Fionn apparently loathed each other or the slight artificial way the talked and smiled. No, it was the way he talked about his brother. Well, more the things you could read between the lines.

Normally she would have shrugged it off as brotherly competition. Cahal was the older one and therefore he was the heir. A little bit envy was only natural. But now with the kidnapping, things look different.

Apparently the _Vehwendi_ thought that Cahal was the one who had kidnapped their precious princess and it was clear that they wouldn't rest till they found her or...well they would have Cahal's head on a silver plate.

That would definitely cause a war and the end the Askari would need a new leader. And who would be better than the little brother? That was if the leadership was hereditary.

She needed to ask Fionn about this.

But why risk war? The greed for leadership was something she could understand but why risk a war against people who possessed definitely the better equipment?

Ancient technologies no less. As far as she was aware of it the _Askari_ had none .

Kaylena wasn't sure how much time had passed when the meeting seemed somehow to be over. Or at least it was about to come to an end.

"I would like to see the place where Anysha was kidnapped."

"And give you a chance to escape? I don't think so!" Reven snapped.

"And I don't think that you have anything to say in that matter!"

"But Cahal..."

"Shut it, Reven!"

It was clear that Cahal was annoyed but Reven didn't seem to notice or he didn't care.

"You don't know her! She is dangerous and you shouldn't trust her! You brought her here, in our home and you didn't even care to snatch her weapons and now you are willing to let her go? You're really stupid if you think she wouldn't..."

"Enough now, Reven!"

To her utterly surprise it was Aydren who raised his voice against his younger brother.

"Please excuse our little brother -he is only worried about our people." He added in her direction which automatically ended with Fionn standing very stiff beside her.

"But he is right, Cahal. You should at least strip her off her weapons and let some of us escort her around. We don't know her or her motives only what she told us!"

"No offence," he added in her direction.

"None taken," she shrugged but changed into a position which made it easier to defend her self if necessary. There was no way she would give up her weapons without a fight.

"If you are so keen to get you hands on her weapons -feel free to get them. But don't expect it to be easy!" Cahal snorted sarcastically which was followed by a couple of chuckles mostly from the man who had been present during the fight.

Aydren's expression was far from amusement. The look he sent in his brothers direction told her enough to strengthen her theory.

"And about her being alone...Fionn will accompany her. This way it should be safe."

Now it was Aydren's time to snort.

"Is there anything else you like to share with us, brother?"

"No," he mumbled not very convincingly.

"Fine! Fionn, show Kaylena the bridal way. Maybe she is right and we missed something."

Cahal didn't sound convinced that she would find anything that he and his men hadn't already noticed but that was fine with her. At least it would give her time to talk to Fionn.

She remained silent till she was sure they were far enough from the camp and the wrong people before she decided to open her mouth.

"If Cahal dies who is the next leader?"

"Aydren."

The fact that he wasn't shocked at her bluntness or her question itself showed her that Fionns thoughts weren't much different from her own.

"But why risk a war? I'm sure the _Vehwendi _will call for blood in the end."

He had stopped and so she followed his example and looked at him. Again she noticed how tall and broad he was. Her former thought that he could rip her into pieces crossed her mind again and somehow she thought it very fitting.

She grinned. Kaylena couldn't help herself but she liked dangerous.

"Not all of us agree with Cahal's decision to marry the princess and form a new future together. Some of us prefer things the way they used to be. Black and white without room for changes. Our people are very different. You have seen our camp and you said yourself you have been in their city."

She nodded in agreement. He was right. While the _Askari _were children of nature the _Vehwendi _loved their technologies. It wouldn't be easy. But who thought it would be.

"Do you think Anysha still lives?"

He nodded. "Yes, I don't see any use in hiding her dead body."

"Maybe they didn't hid her but animals found her body first."

She knew it wasn't nice to say that out loud but it was an option.

"No. I'm sure she is still alive. And I'm sure the _Vehwendi _are thinking the same, otherwise they would threaten us more forcefully."

He had a point there.

"What is with the other side? I mean do you think Anysha's people are all happy about this alliance?"

Ouch! Apparently nobody had thought about that. Or at least not Fionn if the spark in his eyes meant anything.

"Possible," he nodded in the end. "But my bet lies elsewhere."

"Aydren."

There was no need for him to answer it was clearly written all over his face.

"Why do you hate him so much?" The question had been there since Aydren had introduced himself and now it was out she observed him carefully. He kept quiet but the way his hand unconsciously stroke back his hair was answer enough. The long, white scars spoke for themselves.

Apparently there was a bigger story to tell.

For the moment she dropped the subject and they walked together till they reached the spot where Anysha had been kidnapped. Or more the place where it had happened most likely.

Fionn didn't trouble himself with looking for something and she wasn't mad about it. He stood by a nearby tree, watching her closely while she was searched for anything that would help her to find Anysha.

Slowly she asked herself what possessed her to think that she could be any help in this matter. It wasn´t even sure that she had been kidnapped here And even if they had found the right place all tracks had long gone cold- too much time had passed.

Crap!

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice something was wrong until it was nearly to late.

There wasn't even enough time to grip her weapons when suddenly a strange looking animal rushed through the trees. It possessed a large body whose colour was changing like its surrounding, its tail was swinging rapidly behind and the rather impressive long teeth where hard to miss.

Kaylena wasn't sure why but this thing didn't waste a look in her direction. Instead it rushed directly towards Fionn whose expression was blank with fear for a second before he got himself under control and gripped his weapons tighter.

Swords.

Two fucking swords.

Kaylena wasn't sure if blades could be of any use against _that._

"No!" she shouted while she was turned fully around and raised her weapons at the same time. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds till that animal had found them but for Kaylena it all happened in slow motion.

And the worst part was that she knew. She knew that she wouldn't be able to help Fionn. Her weapons seemed to feel unnaturally heavy and she knew that she wouldn't be able to fire before it was to late.

And then suddenly _it _stopped.

From one moment to the other the animal simply froze but she didn't. She was about to shoot it when something distracted her.

"Kaylena!"

She knew it wasn't good for a fighter to get distracted this easily. That a simple word could do that to her. It never happened before. A part of her -the primal one raged with anger and fear because of the danger it could unleash. But her human part flooded her system with a long forgotten happiness.

"Ronon!"

Even if she had tried she couldn't have stopped herself from smiling at him.

"Lynx!" A second voice could be heard and that was all she needed to bring her back to reality.

She ripped her eyes from Ronon and laid them back on the animal which had left its spot and was currently walking to a petite blonde woman not far away from Ronon. Before she could check on Fionn she realised that Ronon's was about to fire his gun.

"No!" she cried out. But it was to late.

The stunning salves hit Fionn mid chest and he stumbled backwards.

"Ronon, no!" she tried again and rushed over to Fionn and brought herself in the fire line between him and the angry Satedaen.

She dropped to her knees beside him and checked his vitals. He groaned but was conscious. Apparently it took more than one or two shots to knock him out. His luck!

"You okay?"

"Yeah! Guess that's your friend, hm?"

"Yeah that's Ronon!"

"He suits you!" Fionn grumbled.

The grin was back on her face.

* * *

A few minutes later after repeating that she was okay and that Fionn was not the enemy she risked a glance at Ronon and decided that he had calmed down for now.

"What's going on?" The way he gripped his gun tighter and the glances he threw in Fionn's direction made her sigh.

She explained him as good as she could what had happened and why she was out here with Fionn.

"We have to inform the others!"

It was the first time the blonde woman spoke. Most of the time Kaylena spoke to Ronon she had been kneeling beside the strange animal, petting it and making it purr.

It was an odd scenery and she didn't miss Fionn's glances towards these two.

"No!"

Now everybody turned towards Fionn.

All four of them were not very talkative people and the tall _Askarian _finally sensed that they were waiting for an explanation.

"The Pawahka it can help to find the princess!"

"Don't you think we tried that before?" The _Vehwendi_ seemed strangely emotionless and simply looked at Fionn with a raised eyebrow.

"No. You tried to follow the princess not her hijacker," he confirmed.

This time there was an emotion. She stiffened visibly and an angry expression hushed over her pale blue eyes. But what raised Kaylena´s curiosity was the fact that the animal showed the exact same emotion.

Somehow that was extremely creepy.

"So it _was_ Cahal!" the woman snarled. Or maybe the snarl came from her pet. Anyway it wasn't a nice sound.

"No!" Fionn hissed and stepped forward ignoring the danger on four legs right in front of him. The woman wasn't impressed and simply starred at him.

Ronon exchanged an uneasy glance with her and it wasn't hard to figure out what he was thinking.

"Cahal accepted her proposal and he would never break his word. He does everything in his power to find her! And we have neither technologies nor Pawahkas to help us!" he spat.

"What a pity!"

"Okay, that's enough!" With a quick move she was beside Fionn and put her hand on his chest to hold him back. It was a strange situation. Normally she was the one who had to be hold back and it made her feel uncomfortable to be in the role of the arbiter.

"Cahal told me about the bridal walk and that she was kidnapped. As far as I see it there are three possibilities."

She looked at the woman who had her features back under control and she took that as a good sign.

"First it was Cahal, but that wouldn't make much sense! He would risk a vendetta. One he could hardly win. There would be more to gain for him if he married Anysha instead of hurting her."

After a moment of silence the blonde finally nodded. "I see your point."

"The second possibility is that some of Cahal's men were not pleased with his decision and made their own move. Not everyone is happy with this connection. Some people prefer things the way they used to be."

Again she nodded.

"The third possibility is that one of your people isn't happy either."

This time there was a long pause before she finally nodded and stood up. "I can't object on this point."

Her neutral tone surprised her but she had no desire to question her either.

"There is another possibility!"

For a moment she nearly forgot Ronon was there. He gave her an odd look and she noticed that her right hand was still on Fionn's chest. As if his touch had suddenly burned her she ripped her hand away.

"So?" the woman asked and rescued her before she could feel embarrassment.

Slowly Ronon averted his eyes from her to look at the petite blonde.

"Both parties work together!"

Why hadn't she thought about that? She was loosing her touch!

After all these years.

"Kaylena?"

She winced as she heard Ronon's uncharacterised soft voice calling her. Obviously she was mumbling incoherent things.

She was really loosing it. Rapidly. And only because...

"Kaylena?" Now he sounded worried.

"I'm fine!" she assured. "So what's the plan?"

She wanted to avoid his eyes but she couldn't. Something in her was pulling her to do it and the moment their eyes met she knew it was a mistake.

_In trouble again, spitfire? How inconvenient! _She could positively hear the mocking voice of her commander.

If he only knew. She was in more trouble than ever before. And worst of all she liked it.

_Yeah, you've always got a thing for dangerous things..._

Yes, she was definitely loosing it.

TBC

* * *

A/N: So... finally united again^^ lol It's always fun to play with Ronon.

The next chapter is halfway done. I'm not really satisfied with it yet. There will be a bit more about the Pawahkas and the about Mission: Save the princess!

I'm not sure if I their adventure on this planet will end with the next chappie. There are one or two ideas in my head, that maybe will find their way onto the paper. I'm also quiet anxious to push Ronon and Kaylena in the right direction^^ But they are both so stuborn and afraid to be hurt....

More than once I had to fight with very "silent" Characters. First Ronon and Kay and now Tonka and Finn. None of them is very chatty and it's sometimes hard to fill the white paper. lol. But I guess it's my own fault.

I really adore John and Rodney for their love of their own voice :-) it makes it so much more easy and they are always fun. Specially Rodney.

Enough chatter from me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	16. On the hunt

Disclaimer: Look chapter one

Much thanks to my lovely beta:-)

* * *

CHATPER SIXTEEN: ON THE HUNT

Ronon couldn't stand that Fionn guy. He didn't like the way he looked at Kaylena. His inner animal tried to convince him that it would be best if he simply sliced his throat and got over with it.

Of course he couldn't do that.

Kaylena wouldn't be very happy if he did.

He knew he was loosing it. Rapidly! So he decided it would be best if he concentrated on their plan: Finding this princess.

Kaylena had told him that the _Vehwendi_ had removed the control crystal from the gate. By finding the princess they would be on better terms with them.

So for the moment they had decided that they would wait before they called the others. The other _Vehwendi _wouldn't be any help. Depending on their theory it would be too risky.

For now their plan was to test the second theory. Kaylena and Fionn were on their way back to the camp to steal some clothes from the man they suspected so that the _Pawahka_ could track him down.

Ronon's eyes were narrowed as he watched the two vanish between the trees. He had no idea how long he had been standing there just staring at the same spot till he heard Tonka's cool voice.

"She doesn't like him. Not in the way you fear."

He wasn't quite sure if there was a hint of amusement in her voice. If she wanted to bait him, or if it was her form of help. He shrugged his shoulders, well aware that she could probably read his mind which was filled with more things than he like to admit.

"Why didn´t you give it to her?"

Ronon winced slightly. Of course she had to pick up the one thing from his mind he wanted to hide more than anything else at the moment.

"Your fears are gratuitous. She would appreciate it."

Even though he preferred her silent, Tonka's choice of words left him with a raised brow

"Appreciate?"

The slight smile was nearly invisible as she shook her head.

"Men are so blind."

Before he could ask further questions she turned around and scanned their surrounding.

Ronon was aware of a closed door when he saw one, so he dropped it.

* * *

It was two hours later, when Kaylena and Fionn were finally on their way back to Ronon.

Fionn had insisted to talk to Cahal. She wasn't happy about it, but she understood. It wasn't that she didn't trust the _Askari _leader but there was always a risk in telling more people than necessary.

And Cahal definitely hadn't looked very happy about their plan. Apparently Fionn wasn't the only one with an aversion against _Pawahkas_. Thankfully Cahal had been sensible in the end.

Aydren had left the camp only minutes before them. So now they were rushing back, with some clothes, which Cahal had nicked from his brother earlier.

For Kaylena it was clear that Aydren had something to do with Anysha´s kidnapping. The question was if he had had help from the other side. It wasn't unlikely.

Political power always seemed to be a good enough reason to forget morality. She wouldn't be amazed if the help had come from someone of the _Vehwendian _royal family.

But what still got her thinking was, if her childhood friend was still alive?

The fact that Aydren had left the camp in a hurry and Anysha hadn´t been left with a sliced throat on the middle of the street gave her a little hope.

But hope was after all something for people who could allow themselves such painful luxury.

Sighing she released herself from such thoughts for now and concentrated on her way in the fading light.

She hadn't talked to Fionn since they had left the camp and he didn't seemed to mind. It was nice to be around someone who didn't overrate the spoken word. Someone who was aware of the fact that silence could be nice now and then.

Someone like Ronon. The thought brought a smile on her face and little bit more energy in her walk.

When they finally reached the point where they had left the others, she wasn't astonished that she couldn't see anyone. So she didn't flinch when Tonka's cool voice reached her ear.

"Have you been you successful?"

"Of course!"

Kaylena wasn't sure if the dislike in Fionn's voice was caused by the question or the woman herself.

Something about her definitely rubbed the _Askarian _the wrong way. The almost invisible smile on the blond woman's face, showed her clearly that she had noticed that, too. And enjoyed it -apparently.

Without another word, Fionn placed the worn out cotton shirt in Tonka's outstretched hands. Kaylena's curiosity about the two foreigners was quickly turned aside when she watched Tonka interact with her animal.

The _Pawalka -_or what ever she had called it -seemed to communicate with her on a level that send the creeps down her back.

Somewhere in the depth of her mind was the picture of such an animal. One that was following her around and was rubbing his nose against her. However as soon as they appeared they came to a stop and then start anew. This time a little bit clearer but still foggy.

They were oddly comfortable -these pictures. She knew there had to be memories from her time on _Vehwen._ She couldn't really remember this animal, but apparently it wasn't the first time she had seen one of its race.

Far away in her mind she remembered the voices of laughing children. Her sister and herself she mused. Maybe even Anysha. For a brief moment she closed her eyes -and there it was again. The _Pawa - Hoshi-_yes that was its name. He was waggling his tail and prodding his nose into her hand while she was patting his soft fur with her other.

"Kaylena are you alright?"

Her eyes snapped open instantly. Both men were locking at her with slightly worried expressions while Tonka looked curious.

"Interesting! That explains a lot of things."

The statement startled her. She must have spoken loudly.

"No, you did not."

Without a second thought she pointed her gun in Tonka's direction."What the heck is going on here!?"

She blond woman merely laughed softly. "So much wild energy. No wonder he choose you."

Her still raised gun didn't seem to impress the _Vehwendi _at all.

"She can read your thoughts." Ronon was the last from whom she expected an answer.

"What?!" For a brief moment her eyes flew to Ronon, but it was all the _Pawahka _needed. The next moment she was lying on her back with a not so happy looking animal above her.

_Lynx _amber eyes where staring into hers and she barely noticed the angry threats and curses from Ronon and Fionn.

She was so absorbed in his eyes that -at first -she didn't notice the probing force in her mind. A force that was carefully digging deeper.

_But Mommy! I want to dial the gate! I'm a big girl, I know how to do it! Josha showed me when we were visiting Aaos!_

_Look Kayle! Look what I have found! Aren't they beautiful? _

The smiling face of her little sister was so clear in front of her that- for a moment- she thought all she had to do to touch it, was reach out her hand.

But the memory faded and another replaced it before she could protest.

_I'm Anysha -I'm a princess! Will you be my friend? _

_Kayle be careful it looks nasty! _There she was again -her sister. It nearly broke her heart to see a frightened look on her pretty face.

_No 'Dara. I find him pretty and I think he likes me! _She could hear herself speaking but there were only blurry pictures.

_Do you think he maybe likes me too?_

_Everybody likes you 'Dara! _

The sound of her happy laughing baby sister combined with another pair of amber eyes were pushed onto the surface before she realised what was going on.

"Enough!" She bellowed.

A second later she was standing on slightly wobbly legs, but Mr. Furious -her good old friend- helped her to stay put. Her chest was heaving wildly while she was trying to steady her breath.

Somewhere beyond her fury she registered that _Lynx _hadn't tried to push her down. In fact the only thing he had done was pushing her to the ground for threatening his mistress.

Her dilated eyes were furiously searching for said woman but the hissing sounds that surrounded her mind made it a difficult task.

Finally they faded more and more till she was aware of her surrounding once again.

Fionn held Tonka in a tight grip, never letting _Lynx _out of his sight, while Ronon's gun was pointed on said animal. The fact that he hadn't pushed the trigger assured her that there couldn't have passed as much time as she thought.

"Never...", she choked. "Do you hear me? Don't dare to to that ever again!"

"Kaylena?" Ronon's worried voice guided her away from the blond woman. His troubled expression warmed her heart and it helped her to calm down.

"I'm..." The sound of Adara´s laugh forced her to shut her eyes and take a deep breath before she was able to continue. "I'm fine!"

She wasn't -not really. But she was focused enough now to react.

Her eyes switched from _Lynx_ to Fionn and Tonka and finally back to Ronon.

The _Pawahka _was sitting patiently a few feet away from her, obviously uninterested in everything that was going on around him. But Kaylena was no fool. She saw the look Tonka was giving her familiar every now and then.

The only reason _Lynx _wasn't tearing them apart limb by limb was because Tonka commanded him. No more and no less.

"Let her!"

The surprisingly soft nuance of her voice startled Fionn, so much was obvious.

"Try that with me and you are dead!" He hissed in Tonka's ear . His words made Kaylena wonder how much he knew about what had happen.

The next second he let go of her

Ronon on the other hand didn't seem as if he was willing to look past the whole thing. She was still shaky and neither had the energy nor the will to discuss the incident.

"Ronon?" Her still uncharacteristic soft voice must have made it clear to him that she wasn't okay but it had the desired effect. He lowered his gun with an unhappy growl which fuelled the warmth in her heart. It was such a nice feeling to know that there was somebody who cared about your welfare.

The feeling was suddenly so overwhelming that she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

By the rotting bones of the ancestors!

Her emotional state was nowhere near intact and she held Tonka fully responsible for it. Damn woman! Hastily she dropped her head but the moment she felt Ronon's warm presence directly beside her she knew he had seen it.

Crap!

She hoped like hell that he didn't ask questions. Kaylena had no intentions to speak about what had happened right now.

To her great relief he knew her well enough to drop it. Instead he changed the whole subject.

"So, ready to move?"

His question was directed towards Tonka and apparently she nodded cause a moment later Ronon's hand on her back pushed her carefully forward.

Happy to focus on something else she followed Ronon's lead. It took her another minute to focus herself and finally she was able to raise her head again.

At least on the outside she looked calm.

One hour later they were still following the _Pawahka _through the wildly grown forest. Kaylena guessed that they had two at the most three hours left until it would be dark. _Vehwen _was a planet with two suns but the trees swallowed a lot of the light.

"Is he searching or has he got his track?"

Tonka hadn't looked at her as she fell in place beside her but now her head turned slightly around. Kaylena quickly noticed that it wasn't to focus on her but to check if Ronon was still beside her.

"He is tracking him down."

That was good. With a little luck she would find Anysha, too.

_I'm Anysha -I'm a princess! Will you be my friend? _

Her golden haired childhood friend appeared once more before her inner eye and she sighed.

"_So -you were friends?" _

She nearly stopped dead in her tracks but she was able to get over the shock quickly enough. The fury was a different matter though.

"_What part of NEVER didn't you understand?!" _She screeched mentally. _"Out. Of. My. Head!"_

"_No. Please wait...!" _

Somehow Tonka sounded totally different in her head as when she was speaking loudly. Less cool and distant.

"_I had no right to do, what I did, but...!"_

"_No! No, you hadn't. No right at all!"_

"_I know. But please understand...You can't read the minds of people easily. Most people have a barrier around their thoughts and you must break it to go in. Some barriers a stronger than others. But every now an than something will...slip through. It's natural. Mostly when emotions are high or the individual is in distress."_

Kaylena did her best to not look at the woman but to observe her surrounding. She didn't falter in her step and kept rushing after _Lynx,_ while she listened to Tonka.

"_So, when you were thinking about Hoshi a little while ago I was able to pick it up without trying to interfere with your mind. It just got past your barrier."_

Despite her befuddlement about the manner of their dialogue she felt a cold fury inside her. Her thoughts about _Hoshi _were one thing. Memories of Adara were a total different story and Kaylena knew that it was Tonka who pulled them to the surface.

"_You are right again. It wasn't my intention to cause you distress with memories of your sister. I was searching for more information about Hoshi. You surprised me when he appeared in your thoughts. I know him and I was wondering how a stranger like you could possible know about him. Especially about him."_

"_I met him here as a child. He played with me and my sister!" _

Even in her mind the last word was nothing more than a hurtful whisper. It still pained her so much. Just thinking about her was like rubbing salt into a gaping wound.

"_Again I'm sorry that we caused you pain."_

"_We?"_

"_Lynx and me. We are an unit. Like you and Hoshi could be! Like it should have been. He chose you then and he never abandoned you!"_

That stopped her dead in her track.

"What?!" Her voice was only an ounce from shouting. Not really the smartest move while you where chasing after someone but she couldn't help it.

Unfortunately or fortunately -depending on the perspective it was the exact moment _Lynx _chose to become noticeable.

"He is near!" And with that everything else was pushed to the side as all four of them focused on the _Pawahka. _

_

* * *

_

Ronon had never hated it more to finally get into action.

He was sure that Tonka was meddling with Kaylena's mind again and he didn't like that one bit. What ever had happened an hour ago it had affected Kaylena deeply and it wasn't something that she could push aside easily.

The only thing which had been able to get that kind of reaction out of her was Mikosh -or her family to be more specific. He knew that she had been here before so it was likely that it had something to do with her mother and her sister.

Ronon winced slightly at the thought. That couldn't end good.

And by the way the two women were walking beside each other -silent or not -it wasn't over. Kaylena was stiff and angry though she was trying to hide it.

He knew it wouldn't be long till she would snap. In this aspect they were very much alike.

And he would be there.

But of course things couldn't happen the way they should. The exact moment Kaylena exploded the _Pawahka _had to find his victim.

Sometimes fate was just cruel or very kind. At least for Tonka. Ronon knew Kaylena well enough to know that he never wanted to be the receiving party of her wrath. She could get pretty nasty when she forgot herself.

But instead of fighting by her sight, he was running beside her now. Not unlike the time they had hunted the _Askari _men down the forest.

All for of them were fit and held the tempo of the _Pawahka _easily. It was nice to be with people who didn't feel the need to stop every mile to get back to breath. He knew that Teyla hadn't any problems to keep up with him and John was a pretty good runner and fighter, but it was not the same. These people moved with the same simple grace trough this terrain like his people would.

Soundless and fast, like animals on the hunt.

Unlike people from earth, they had been raised this way. They lived as much in the forest as in a city and had learned from small age how to survive. In their world it was necessary, with the Wraith as an overly sized shadow of danger.

So instead of letting his worries for Kaylena get the upper hand, he enjoyed the run and let his primal part feel the anticipation of what was to come. Maybe at the end of the hunt, there would be a good fight.

By now his surrounding was nothing more, then mere schemes as both suns went down for this day. Ronon didn't mind. He could see enough to find his way and likewise it was dark enough to give them some shelter.

_Lynx _was running ahead of them for maybe ten minutes longer before he finally stopped dead in his track.

_Literally. _

Confused he frowned but he kept quiet, maybe there was more to it. Kaylena and Fionn obviously came to the same conclusion. They all fixed their eyes on Tonka and sure enough the way she held her head alone was enough to him to figure out what was going on.

She was speaking to the animal. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not but for now he couldn't do anything about it.

Suddenly Tonka stiffened and whatever the reason was, it couldn't be good.

What happened next was clearly not what he expected. Kaylena's body went rigid for a second, much like the one of the blond woman beside her.

That alone was enough to alert him, but before he could do so much as step closer to her, she locked eyes with Tonka, nodded and without wasting another second spun around to him and grasped him.

She didn't talk, but from the look in her eyes he knew what she wanted to tell him: Run!

* * *

One moment she was waiting patiently for _Lynx´_ and Tonka's 'talk' to come to an end and the next she was part of it.

Kaylena still wasn't sure what to make of the fact that she could talk to someone on this level. It wasn't that she had never heard of things like that, but she wasn't quiet comfortable with the fact that someone was able to pick up her thoughts. And Tonka had shown her quite clearly that she was able to dig out whatever she wanted form her mind.

She had felt the woman beside her stiffen and the next second she was floated with thoughts, scents and impressions. It was all so overwhelming that she thought she would pass out but she resisted and the next moment it all made sense. She couldn't separate them as clearly as she would have liked, but she got the message and could feel herself go rigid.

"_Take your warrior and run! We must separate! Our chances are higher, if we do it. They will send them after me. Hopefully they can't detect you. But you're both good fighters, you should be able to bring them down if inevitable. But don't underestimate them! Lynx and me will do our best to distract them!"_

"_What about Fionn?" _

"_He will come with us!" _Tonka didn't sound happy, but Kaylena knew that it was better that way.

"_Remember what we showed you! Now run and speak only if it's necessary. Otherwise they will hear you!"_

One good thing about 'mental speak' was that it didn't cost nearly as much time as a normal conversation. So without spending much more value time, she nodded and turned around to grasp Ronon.

She wasn't worried that he would pose a problem. It was Ronon! Somehow they were able to communicate on a different level, even if they weren't able to speak the way she and Tonka obviously could.

Without so much hesitation he did what she hoped he would. He ran.

Kaylena tried her best to push everything Tonka had shown her aside, it would only distract her and at the moment she needed to concentrate on her surrounding. But it wasn't easy.

The scent and loose thoughts of the other two _Pawahkas _penetrating her mind and she couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

Although she knew, that she shouldn't talk at all, she needed to tell Ronon what was going on. So the best she come up with for now, was to run as far as they could to minimize the chance of being overheard.

She did her best to run a direct line, so it would be easier to find their way back.

Finally she thought she had brought enough distant between her and the danger that lurked in the darkness behind them. Well, at least enough to speak to Ronon who came to a stop beside her and looked at her waiting.

In moments like this, she tried to wrap her mind around the fact, that she had known him for only a few months, although it felt like a whole life time. It was always so easy with him, as if they could sense what the other needed.

Before she could lose herself again in this sort of thoughts, she snatched him by his tunic and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear.

"Lynx has found him and Tonka let me now that we're were near some old ruins." Her voice was barely about a whisper, but she knew that he understood her perfectly as she continued and he stiffened sightly. "There are other Pawahkas. Two if they are right. Its more than likely that they noticed Lynx presence and are on the hunt now!"

The fact that there were Pawahkas only added to their theory but created a major problem.

"Tonka and Lynx will distract the Pawahkas as well as possible, while we search for Aydren and maybe we will find Anysha this way."

He was stiff and Kaylena wasn't entirely sure if it was because of the animals or the the way the Vehwendi woman informed her over everything.

"You're able to find the ruins?" His voice was deep and rough and she couldn't help herself but shiver slightly. She nodded and leant back, before the maddening urge to step nearer and nuzzle her face in the crock of his neck became an overbearing need.

She hadn't dared to give urges and wishes like that a name, but it became an increasing problem. The word _problem _made her wince, but like so often, this was definitely not the time to clarify this.

With another firm nod she turned around and headed to the caves, where she hoped to find her childhood friend.

Some time later they came to a stop. They were both standing behind a big tree that would hopefully provide them with enough shelter for now, though it was dark enough to mask them further. In front of them she could make out the outlines of what must have been a temple or some other sacred place in its better days. Tonka had 'told' her that there was some kind of tunnel system under it, unfortunately she failed to tell her where she could find the entrance.

To tell the truth she had no idea where to begin. It was dark, she was in unknown territory and if that was not enough, there were two dangerous animals out there which could become a massive problem, if they didn't look out for it.

Ronon was standing beside her and she was about to turn towards him and find out if he had a better plan -or one at all- when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"...could that happen?!" The he speaker was obviously angry and didn't care too much about a possible audience. She knew that voice.

The other person obviously wasn't all to happy about Aydren's choice of tone and hushed him to be quiet.

"What?! I thought those deformed animals you call pets will deal with the situation!"

"They will! It's only one unit, probably that stubborn woman who accepted to hunt with the tall man, but you shouldn't underestimate her. She is well known for her hunting skills and the man might be a problem too. He is dangerous!"

The voice was barely noticeable. It was a woman that much she could tell and from her words she assumed that she was a _Vehwendi._

By now Kaylena could see the two of them between two half destroyed pillars not far away from them.

"If he's anything like the wildcat my brother brought home you should kill him!"

Against her will she stiffened and was barely able to control herself. Ronon seemed to sense that and she could feel his hands on her, ready to hold her back.

Oh Aydren would be in for the hell of a ride, when she finally got her hands on him. That disgusting scum!

"We will deal with them! Three units should be enough to deal with the other unit an the foreigner!" Three units? Kaylena clenched her teeth and hoped that Tonka would be able to deal with six of them after her. The human part was surely no piece of cake but the real threat were the _Pawahkas. _All she could do for now, was wait however.

"But the others will ask questions!" The woman continued. Her voice was louder now, as the two of them were getting nearer. "We should kill the princess and send her head to the city. Mael will have no other choice than to declare a war!"

"No!" Aydren's voice was getting louder and all attempts from the woman to hush him didn't work. "Kill the man and the crazy woman and make it look as if my brother did it."

"When the _Pawahka _get him, there will be no way that anybody would believe that story. But maybe we can make something up. The woman will be your problem though!"

Kaylena wanted to snort. As if he would be a match for her. Of course he would never play fair.

"I will think of something. I must head back, Cahal is getting wary, Andora is finally getting to him." Aydren grunted.

"He might be a problem," the woman suggested and stopped.

Beside her she could feel Ronon move and she glanced aside. He had gripped his weapon, obviously to shoot the two, but she was quick to snatch his arm and shook her head. They couldn't be sure, that there weren't more of them and would alert them with the weapons. Instead she showed him with a few gestures what she intended to do.

Suddenly she was glad that the other were not with them, she doubted that they would be happy about her 'plan'. They weren't to keen about killing, even though they would run around with weapons. Evan had tried to explain to her that they would only kill someone if it was absolutely necessary. Of course what was necessary and what not was a very subjective notion.

In this case it was necessary to be quiet and eliminate a possible danger, therefore there were only two possibilities. Get near enough to handle them or kill them with a knife or dagger in her case.

"Don't worry. It will be my personal pleasure to handle him when it's time!" Cahal's brother spat. She couldn't hear the woman's answer, but from the sound of it she didn't seem too confident with his ability to handle the scarred _Askari. _

"Watch out woman!" He snarled and finally set into motion again. "I must go!" And without another glance in her direction Aydren continued to walk towards them, while the woman remained in her spot.

Kaylena could feel herself getting stiffer with every step he made. If he kept that path he would pass them by mere inches.

It was nearly too perfect to be true. The only thing that could cause them some troubles, was the woman. As long as she didn't turn around, it was not safe to act. Even if it was dark, she cold dodge the weapon or simply notice what was happening to Aydren and call for help. They couldn't risk that.

Regardless she gripped her dagger firmly and motioned Ronon silently to take the _Askari _which he acknowledged with a small nod. And then as if in slow motion the woman started to turn around...

* * *

From one minute to the other, everything happened really fast. As if they had fought side by side their whole life, they both stepped into action the second the woman turned her back to them.

The man -the one they had apparently followed this evening -was only an arm length away and it wasn't all that troublesome to knock him over before he knew what was happening. Ronon simply hit him with the back of his gun across his face and he sunk together like a lifeless puppet.

Kaylena's move was nothing more than a blurry impression in the corner of his eye, but Ronon didn't doubt for a second that she hit her goal.

And sure enough as he finally looked up the outlines of the woman had vanished. Without hesitation, he pulled the motionless body nearer to one of the trees, so that it wouldn't be too obvious. He was glad that the others weren't here, cause he doubted that John or anybody from earth would be pleased with their way of handling the situation.

Kaylena was already waiting when he turned around. She had gripped the one dagger in one hand while the other was hovering near her gun. Safe was safe after all. But he understood the need to be quiet so he pulled his sword from his back. It had been some time since he had been able to use it and he wouldn't be sorry to get the opportunity.

Simultaneous they both started to cross the place before them, always watching out for possible threats, but as far as it looked there were none. At least not overground. They stopped beside the woman -the definitly dead woman, but only long enough for Kaylena to snatch her dagger and for him to confirm his assumption about her identity. At first she had been to quiet to recognise her voice, but in the end he was pretty sure, she was the one who had greeted them in the throne room.

That pretty much proved his theory about both sides working together.

By now, they had reached the place where the natives appeared firstly. Between the two pillars. It didn't took them long to find the hidden entrance, probably because both of them hadn't put any effort into hiding it. If the woman was expected back it could work for their favour, cause nobody would be astonished if there were some noises in entering this place. But the fact that they had no idea about the sectioning or how much people would be standing in their way, was a major problem.

The entrance was nothing more than a simple hole in the ground, he could make out staircases from where he was standing but nothing more. Obviously the woman knew this place pretty good so that she didn't need any light source to guide her way. Or maybe they were hidden somewhere near the walls.

He was about to reconsider his weapon choice and looked at Kaylena to see what she thought about the situation. Funny how much thought he gave about her opinion.

This time she seemed as displeased as he was, but of that didn't stop her in the slightest. If he wanted or not he couldn't stop the slight smile that was about to spread over his lips.

Both daggers in a tight grip she moved forward in an attempt to go first. The caveman part of him didn't like that one bit, but he was intelligent enough to keep that for himself. Like Teyla, Kaylena wasn't fond of being patronized by someone.

So instead of pulling her behind him, he took the place beside her.

Kaylena was just about to step onto the first stair, as suddenly things started to change and not for the better this time.

From one second to the other she started to yell a warning and only his years as a runner allowed him to act the way he did afterwards.

While Kaylena jumped to the right side he pushed off and threw himself backwards to the left and not one moment to late.

Like a giant black shadow something dashed out of the hole and it cost him a second to realise that it was a _Pawahka. _The last clear thing that shot through his head before more primal parts of him took over was, that this animals were never alone and Kaylena was on her own.

The next second the animal landed on the ground and his head snapped in his direction, fangs bare and with a deep growl and then head towards him.

He didn't have enough time to grip his gun let alone get on his feet again. So all he could do before the massive _Pawahka _landed on him, was to clasped his weapon with both hands and push. Ronon could hear a smacking sound as his sword hacked into the animals exposed chest. Warm blood was spilling out of it and sprinkling all over his form. But although the blade had pierced through it, so that only the hilt was sticking out, it was still moving, snarling and trying to rip his throat off.

Ronon had to use all his strength to push the fighting animal farer away from him, moving the blade from side to side in that process. He could tell that he had hurt it pretty badly but that only made it more dangerous than it was to begin with.

Suppressing a pained groan, as the Pawahka landed a hit with his claws on his left arm he tried to use his feet to help him immobilise the animal further. He realised that there was no big chance in getting it off him while it was still breathing, so his only change in getting out of this alive was to use the sword. It was no easy move to push the sword, turn it as good as possible inside the wound and doge the claws and teeth.

While he managed to twirl the blade nearly 360°, his arms were getting weak and unfortunately that meant his attempts to get out of reach of the _Pawahka _were getting worse. From the amount of blood that had soaked his clothes in the few minutes till it was on him and the slower uncontrolled moves, he could tell that it was as good as dead. But its body wasn't ready to accept the inevitable just yet.

In a last attempt to bring his enemy down with him, the animal leapt forward using every ounce of energy left in him. Instinctual Ronon tried to cover his face and digressed from the pranks as far as possible. He groaned in pain and nearly couldn't stop himself from yelling out loud, as the claws stroke deep into the flesh under his now exposed bladebone and ripped his skin open till the middle of his right arm. His wounds stung like fire and he wasn't so sure if he would have found the strength for his next move, hadn't he felt quiet clearly that the animal was at its end by now. The attack had cost it everything that was left. Though still snarling and baring its teeth there was more power behind its tries to get to him.

With a strangled cry he used all of _his _remaining energy and tugged his sword up and sliced it through the dying body. Somewhere between neck and ear it came back to the surface with a splash of blood.

Like a puppet cut from its strings the _Pawahka _fell onto him. Dead it felt heavier then before, but he allowed himself a few minutes before he pushed the carcass from him

He used the time to orientate himself. First thing he noticed was, that it was silent. A good sign. At least he thought that, till he remembered that Kaylena should be there.

Fear gripped him and made him react faster as he though possible. The next instant he was on his feet. Sword in one hand and his gun in his other.

What he saw let his heart nearly stop for one beat -in a good sense.

Although is was dark he could make out her form only a few steps in front of him. She was staring at him, or at least he thought she was staring. There wasn't enough light to see her eyes.

For a second he remained silent before he realised how utterly stupid it was. His fight alone had made enough sound to alert anybody near. And from the dark outlines on the ground Kaylena had had her own fights.

"Kaylena?" He asked a little unsure, as she remained staring at him without the tiniest move. It was as if she had been frozen. Something he hadn't thought possible at all. He had seen her in situation much worse in their short time together.

But suddenly as if his voice had triggered something she started to run towards him and before he knew what happened she was wrapped around him in a fervent hug.

"I thought...I thought...I thought I'd lost you!" She stuttered so low that he barely understood her.

He knew that it probably wasn't the best situation -there were still _Pawahkas _around and they didn't know what to expect inside the cave -but instead of doing the realistic thing he did the right thing. Ronon hugged her back as good as he could, careful not to hurt her with the sword.

He buried his face in her hair and the familiar smell of windflowers soothed him on a level he hadn't experienced in a long time. But after a minute he loosened his grip, not because he wanted it, but because he had to.

Kaylena seemed to understand and a second later she was standing beside him, as if nothing spectacular had ever happened. Like himself she changed her blades with her guns.

Slowly they made their way down the staircases. There was barely enough room for a person of his stature. More than once he stripped the stone wall with his arms and groaned inwardly as pain from his wounded shoulder and arm arms shot through him.

Ignoring it like before he continued to walk behind Kaylena and after a few more steps they stepped into a small tunnel. Like the entrance it was not very broad and so low-ceilinged that they both had to duck their heads.

First it was dark but after a few minutes they could make out a faintly light. So somewhere in front of them, there had to be some kind of light source. Maybe a chamber or another tunnel, where they held the princess captive. He hoped so. Caves and underground tunnels had never been one of his favourites. Too little free space and too many niches for others to hide.

Kaylena seemed to think in the same lines, cause she quickened her step. The further they got, the more light illuminated the stone walls and before long they were standing at a crossroad. The light came from the left so it was the only logically option, though he didn't stop looking over his shoulder to make sure, nothing was hiding in the other tunnel.

Much to his relief the walls on their path was higher, so he could straighten his back without the fear of bumping his head. It was still not wide enough to walk beside each other so he was still stuck in the second row. If there was another _Pawahka _down here, he couldn't do much to help her, before it was on her and that didn't take to him in the slightest. His arms were still burning like fire and he wasn't so sure if there wasn't something in his wounds that triggered that feeling.

By now it was lucid enough to make out the the outlines of something that looked like a door. The wood was rotten and wouldn't stand a single blow, he noticed as he stepped nearer, but it was shut.

Kaylena didn't hesitate and the next second the door was open, clearing the way for their entrance. He wasn't so sure what he ^had expected, but somehow he was sure there would be more men, _Pawahkas _or whatever else theses people could get hands on, but nothing.

As they stepped into the small room, all he could make out were a few old chairs beside the small wooden cage that dominated the place.

The woman in it was cowering at the far end of her prison and watched them with fear clearly written on her face.

Her hair was such a gold-blonde that it seemed to glow from its own and covered a good part of her small form. Ronon couldn't say much about her condition, but from what he saw, there were no obvious wounds or anything else that would suggest that she had been physically abused. Of course that didn't mean anything.

Instead of rushing to the woman he stepped further into the room and looked out for possible hide holes, but there was nothing. The room was small and bare and contained only one exit, so if there was a threat left, it would come through the front door.

"I'll watch the door!" He informed Kaylena who seemed a little unsure about her next step. She had told him, that she had met the princess before, so it would be the best if she was the one who helped her childhood friend.

She appeared eased that he made that decision for her and stepped nearer to the cage.

"Anysha?" Her voice as soft and warm, much like when she was with Kaaron or when they spend some time on their favourite balcony and she could watch the ocean.

There was no answer.

"Anysha, there is no need to be afraid. We are here to rescue you! I'm your friend!"

As he looked over his shoulder, he could see that Kaylena was by now sitting on her knees beside the cage and the princess was watching her with an odd expression on her face.

"I will open the cage and then we will leave the cave, okay? We are in the old ruins in the forest and it would be quite a walk back to the city, so I'll will take you to Cahal. Is that okay?"

Again there was no response and he could hear Kaylena sigh slightly.

"Anysha I know you must be afraid, but I assure you, you will be safe with us, as you will be with Cahal. We won't let anything happen to you."

There was a short pause before Kaylena added something strange. "If you play the princess, I will be your guard, then nothing can happen to you!"

And for the first time the gold haired woman answered.

"Kayle is that you?"

He couldn't quiet explain what had triggered what happened next, but from one second to the other both women started to laugh. Free and happily, as if nothing bad had ever happened to them and somehow just hearing it he felt better himself than he had in a long time.

TBC

* * *

A/N: So here is the next Chapter. The time on Vehwen comes to an end with it, although there are a few notes about some things in the next chappie. But I thought it would be much too long to spend more time 'here'. After all it was a mission to get a few more ZPMs.

The 'thing' between Ronon and Kaylena is getting more and more obvious I think and I promise next chapter is almost only about the two of them. I'm halfway done with it and it's not so easy to bring them together as I thought in the beginning. Of course all that stopps them is their own fear and way of thinking.

I really hope I be able to update soon^^Till than I hope you enjoy it.


	17. Life is good

Disclaimer: look chapter one

For my lovely beta Metalmuffin...without you I would be lost. Thank you for everything.

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: LIFE IS GOOD

_One week later: _

Most of the trouble had been taken care of by now and Kaylena couldn't say that she was sorry. Even though she had enjoyed her time on this planet despite all what had happened, she was anxious to get back home. Back to Atlantis.

Unfortunately she had to wait. At least for the next few hours. They all had been invited to the royal wedding, which would occur punctual at noon, though the others had left _Vehwen _six days ago and would only arrive back today. They still hoped to be able to trade the ZPMs and Kaylena was sure after everything that happened, they only amened their position. Dr. Weir would be among the guests today to introduce herself and was allowed to come back in a few days from now to start the negotiations.

With a deep sigh she stepped out of the room into the next to get over with the inevitable.

"Oh, Kayle you look beautiful!" Anysha squealed and clapped her hands.

She didn't want to ruin Anysha's day, so she smiled at her and accepted her fate. One that had made her the brides maid and as if that wasn't enough she had to wear a dress! Allowedly it was a beautiful dress, but she wasn't comfortable wearing these kind of clothes. The last time she had been forced to wear one, had been the wedding of her cousin. That had been nine years ago and she couldn't say that she was sad about that, even as a child she had preferred trousers simply because they were better to fight in.

"Oh, Kayle can you believe it, I will marry today." The blond woman smiled and allowed the other two women beside her to help her into her dress. It was white and gold and not even Kaylena could deny that it was a girls dream come true.

Anysha was still as much of a girly girl as she had been as a child. Sweet and warm-hearted but sometimes a little bit too giddy for her taste.

The princess had recovered astonishing quickly from her unintended visit in the ruins and proven surprising strength in handling the situation. Anysha may appear incompetent but she was far from it. She worked hand in hand with Cahal in this case, which only showed that the two of them would make a good couple and were able to rule together.

Both of them hadn't been very squeamish with the traitors among them. Every and each of them had been imprisoned or banned form their planet, depending on which punishment was the worst in each case.

Cahal was good for her and would bolster her back when she needed strength and she would lighten him up, when he needed it. A full time job, if someone asked her.

The _Askari _had been far from amused after finding out his brother´s part in the hijacking. Especially when it had become clear, why Aydren was so persistent to spare Anysha's life. Obviously the _Askari _had planned to take over Cahal's place after the _Vehwendi _hadfinished him off. Not only as their leader but also as the future husband.

Akaha, Anysha's aunt who was the driving force on the _Vehwen _side of the traitors must have been stupid or blind to be obvious to Aydren's plan, cause it frankly didn't include her as the ruler over the city.

Nobody seemed to be deeply concerned about her sudden death, after they found out about her role in everything. She had been the one who foreclosed that the _Pawahkas_ could find the princess with four of the _Pawahka _leaders, who weren't happy about the union of the two tribes.

Tonka and Fionn had successfully overwhelmed the three units which had been after them. Two of them had been captured alive in one of Tonka's hunting pitfalls. The other unit was not so lucky. Much like the one Ronon and she herself had handled, both -the _Pawahka _and the leader had found their death.

Fionn had handled the animal and although Tonka was good in hiding it on the surface she had snatched a glimpse at her true emotions. Obviously the blond woman was quiet impressed.

Like Ronon he had a variety of wounds, which probably would scar, to remind him of the incident. By now Kaylena had no doubts, where the scars on his face came from and she was convinced that it had something to do with Aydren too, but it was not her place to ask.

"Is your man coming with the others today?" Kaylena winced instantly at Anysha's choice of words, but her childhood friend didn't seem to notice. "I bet he will love that dress on you," she gushed. Kaylena had spend some time with her childhood friend these last days and it had been nice, although they were as different as day and night. Where Anysha was careless and free from bad experiences beside the one of her hijacking she was careful and hurt in so many ways that it seemed odd that they could enjoy each others company so flawless.

"And Cahal told me that his friend likes you, too. You know the tall one, with the many scars."

"Really?" she muttered and could only hope that that was not true. Fionn was nice and she liked him, but that was about it.

"Oh, yes, but on the other side he also told me that he spend a lot of time with Tonka if you're not with her."

That piece of information made her look up and she could feel a smile forming on her lips.

"But I noticed you are surrounded by a lot of men. They all seem nice but you have a thing for this Mr. Dex and it is quiet obvious that he is taken with you. At first I found him really scary but he isn't really, is he?" Anysha babbled happily while she stood still, so one of the women could fasten laces on her back.

Kaylena raised an eyebrow at her but realized quite quickly that the bride to be was simply nervous and was trying to ease her self with small talk.

"No, he is not," she confirmed instead of remaining to be quiet.

"Cahal is the same. The first time I saw him I was afraid of him. He appeared so intimidating -so tall, broad and with that serious expression," the princess went on. "My mind was just blank for a few minutes and I stuttered my welcome, can you believe it?" Actually she could, she knew Cahal and was sure he was able to be intimidating. "But he was so nice to me. He behaved like a real gentleman all the time and he always saw to it that I was comfortable and explained to me everything I didn't understand of their culture and he never once gave me the sentiment that he wasn't sincere." By now she had gotten an amazing speed in her speech, but Kaylena continued to nod and smile at her.

"And then I noticed how good he looked. I mean really noticed, without the fear. Hasn't he the most amazing eyes? I really hope our children will have his eyes." For a moment Kaylena had a vision of small golden haired toddlers with Cahal's piercing blue eyes. She could see Anysha's hope for that.

"Do you think, we can be happy with each other?" Her voice was so small and timid that Kaylena didn't know what to answer at first.

Did she think that they could be happy, even though it was an arranged marriage? She didn't know each of them very good, but from what she had seen in the last few days, she wasn't really concerned.

"Yes, I think you two will be happy, maybe you'll even learn to love the other over the time."

That got a genuine smile out of the blond woman and before she could blink twice Anysha had wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

A few hours later Kaylena was standing in front of the gate. It had been a beautiful marriage and it had been clear that in the future the people would have a royal couple ruling their planet and if they liked it or not -both tribes would have to find ways to overcome their problems.

Playing the brides maid hadn't been as bad as she had feared, apart from Evan and Ryan having a field day while making pictures of her in her dress.

She had bid Anysha and Cahal her good bye with the promise to come back in future.

Something she had promised Tonka already. The _Vehwendi _could be more than a little stubborn and she was anxious to get Kaylena to meet with _Hoshi, _the _Pawahka _that she had known when she first visited this planet as a child.

Tonka had tried to explain her a little more about the connection between the animals and their leaders. Apparently it was the _Pawahka _which choose the leader and formed the first part of the connection.

Somehow that had happened between _Hoshi _and herself when she was a mere child. Nothing that was unheard of, but it never happened before with someone who wasn't a native merely because foreigners weren't often around _Pawahkas._

It was different with her, obviously and while she could live without him he suffered on a complicated level by being apart from her.

Kaylena hadn't been brave enough to see him just jet. Too many memories of _Hoshi _were associated with her sister -more than the few they had shared with Anysha. Although she wanted to meet him she couldn't at this time.

"Ready to head back home?" Sheppard's voice interrupted her thoughts. His words were not necessary headed in her direction but the word _home _reminded her how quickly it had become exactly that.

"Yes," she heard herself say and notice that Sheppard looked at her quizzically unlike Ronon who seemed to understand exactly what she was feeling.

Inwardly sighing she focused her eyes on the gate where the blue fountain was just about to shoot out.

Ronon...there was a lot she had to think about.

* * *

_One and a half month later: _

Ronon was sitting on his bed and stared at his hands -or better the object that he was holding in them and asked himself what he should do.

He wasn't one for long mental debates, normally. If there was a problem he would find a solution if it was necessary. Simple. Action and reaction. The more you complicated some things the more chaotic they got, so he was anxious to hold them on a plain level. Not because he was stupid, as McKay loved to pronounce, but because hesitating and thinking too long about an issue got you killed quite quickly.

This _issue _however was different.

More complicated. Even in his mind there wasn't a simple way to sort it out -or better especially in his mind.

His fingers traced along the wooden material, feeling the structure and eventually the lines he had carved in. They were old Satedaen runes and even without looking at them, he knew which rune was under his finger right now. Her name. Or more specifically the symbol he associated with her.

The _Wild Spirit. _

His rune _The Ancestral Fire _was engraved right next to it. Of course that was nothing but hopeful thinking and he may have stepped over his boundaries with this one. Other than the men from earth he understood quite well how the Lotharian courting rituals were supposed to work. Combination of names was usually something that wasn't done until the wedding.

When he had started to work on the bracelet- that was now finished lying in his hands- he hadn't been entire sure about his own thoughts and feelings in that matter.

He had spend long nights thinking about his past and his fiancé, trying to forget the pain, the rage and the helplessness -things that usually were linked with memories of Melena. Instead he had thought about the two of them before the Wraith had attacked his planet and changed his life forever. The happy memories were pulled out of the depth of his mind and although he seemed to remember only a few of them, they eased the pain, even if they had not the power to make him forget.

One night a few weeks ago he realized with a painful clearness, that he had shared only two years of his life with Melena and spent seven years on the run. A difference that only showed him how much time the Wraith had truly stolen from him. Adding the three years he was on Atlantis by now, it had been over ten years since he had been near someone. Physically and mentally. Sure he felt friendship for Teyla and Sheppard, but that wasn't the same.

Nothing was the same since Sateda had been destroyed and with it Melena. He knew at some point in his life he had loved her and part of him always would, but with the same shocking clearness he had realized how much time had passed he suddenly saw that the place which he had normally associated with Melena was blank.

For the first time since he was a child he felt on the edge to cry. The realisation that she was really and entirely gone -even from her usual place in his mind had disrupted him more than he liked to acknowledge.

It had cost him a few more days -some which brought several of the Marines into the hospital and got him some warning words from Sheppard -till he realized she wasn't gone - just in another place.

One she would never leave and would be filled with nothing but her memory.

At that point things had changed. He had started the bracelet some time ago but something had hold him back up to that point.

Again Ronon stared down at the bracelet. It was made out of leather, wood and horn. The braided leather formed the basic structure of the bracelet and was long enough to be wrapped three or four times around her wrist, while the wood and horn was formed and carved into pearls, plates and little figures. Some were ornamented with lines and patterns while others were decorated with runes. All in all it had cost him months to make it and now that it was completed he was unsure of himself.

A feeling that didn't got well with him and usually much less with the people around him.

For a second he played with the thought of talking with Teyla about it but dismissed it quickly. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Athosean, but speaking about the one thing would led to the other and he didn't want that.

Finally he decided to change the location. He always could think better under the open sky so he decided to make a stop on one of the balconies.

* * *

Kaylena had spent the major part of her time on missions in the last weeks with her team. With her full team that was. Dr. McArthur had never accompanied them before and at first she had feared that he would be like McKay. He wasn't although she had to consent to Ryan's opinion, that in some cases he was worse.

By now she knew, why everybody just called him by his nickname. _Mad _was a good choice of word to describe him. Not in a dangerous manner mind you, but he seriously was odd somehow not that she cared. He obviously was good in his job, otherwise he wouldn't be here and he didn't argue when they gave him a military order so she could live with the rest. Even if he had a talent to cause trouble. So did she.

They had just come back from another mission. It wasn't very spectacular, like the last three and she was nearly desperate for some action.

Maybe Ronon would like some sparring? Stupid question, he was even more fixed on fighting than she was.

She decided that she would shower and change first before looking for him. Her quarters were near the ones Teyla and the other Athoseans used, so she was astonished to see two Marines in the hallway in front of her. They both rounded the corner which led to her and Teyla's quarters and she didn't think too much of it, till she heard them talk.

Obviously one of them wasn't overly happy to be here and out of curiosity she stopped and listened to them. They couldn't see her, cause she was still standing in the other hallway, while they couldn't be standing far away.

"I still think that it is a stupid idea!" An unfamiliar voice said.

"Oh, come one man, calm down," the other scoffed -that voice she knew. Mitchell. That likely meant that they were standing in front of her quarter. Laura had been right and he had been somehow fixed on her although she wasn't quite sure what his intentions were. Not that it really mattered, she wasn't interested in anything that went beyond teaching him and a few of his comrades some fighting moves.

"Has someone told you lately, that this fixation you have on her is unhealthy? You should save your sorry ass before it's too late! Get it in your head she's not interested in you."

"I haven't even asked her out yet. That's why I'm here. No woman has ever turned me down," Mitchell huffed.

"Listen buddy, I give it to you. She is hot, alright? But so are others and unlike her they are sane and don´t have a tall, scary Satedaen warrior to rip your throat out, if you come near them. And he will not stop with you if he's in the mood, so do yourself and us others a favour and listen to me: She isn't for you!"

From the tone of his voice the man seemed more in fear of Ronon than in worry about his friend.

"What do you mean sane?" Mitchell asked and obviously decided to ignore the rest and even if Kaylena really had liked him to just listen to his friend and disappear, she was interested in the answer too.

"She is scary!" the man snorted. "At first I thought she's like Teyla. Just some other super warrior princess. Wouldn't been surprised, this galaxy seems full of hot-blooded Xenas."

_Who was Xena? _

Obviously Mitchell knew what the other was talking about cause a second later both men chuckled as if it had been a great joke.

"But this one is completely off the rockers. You may have seen her sparring but I have seen her fighting out there and have read some of the mission reports. She's like an animal even worse than Dex!"

She didn't know this man but obviously he thought he knew her. Who the hell did he think he was? Hadn't she proved her worth and wasn't she the one who provided them with the location of the Ancient ships? She could feel her fist clench as she listened further.

"Don't get me wrong they are both great assets to Atlantis and they teach some of the best fighting class I have ever been in but they are dangerous!"

"Man! I want to ask her to a date not marry her."

"That's exactly the problem buddy."

Well she couldn't say that she had expected that, but she had give to the unknown man some credit. Obviously he understood more than some others, even if she didn't like his choice of words for some things.

"What do you mean?"

Mitchell really wasn't the brightest.

"You really didn't get it man, hu? Women like Teyla and her are not to be played with. Teyla maybe would be kind enough to only kick your ass, but the new one -she will simply kill you and if not her Dex will finish you off."

Well yes, she probably would but that would presume that she would allow him to 'play' with her in any form first.

She had become acquainted with earth men in the last two month and although she had to admit that most of them were good people, they had the annoying habit to be quite chatty about the most inappropriate topics. Specially when it came to women. Kaylena was no prude nor wasn't she acquainted with men speaking about sex, but surly not in the form and length earth men did.

She really had no intentions to become the newest topic for breakfast -in other topics than she already was- even if she would be interested in one of the Marines.

Even during her time in the Lotharian army she had made sure that no one knew about her personal business. Not that there was much to speak about, she just thought that it was no ones business but hers. Men were men and although the soldiers on her home planet had been far less rude and open about their _adventures _or personal thoughts about their companions _abilities _there was still talk. So Kaylena had found someone who shared her opinion about the word _private. _

"... since you married." She realised that she had been lost in her thoughts and concentrated again on the two men.

"Listen Mitchell! If you need to get laid stick with the airheads you usually do. We others have enough problems with Wraith and missions and don't need to get our asses kicked by Dex and Lirren. Do you remember how many of us were in the infirmary when she had been shot down? Imagine what he will do if you try to fuck over with his girl! We will all be fucked up," the unknown soldier barked and Kaylena started to wonder if they realised that they were standing in front of her quarters where they could easily get overheard. Namely by her.

Mitchell of course had to counter something, but Kaylena didn't listen any more. She had enough. Though she had liked to shower, she wasn't anxious to meet with the two so she changed her plans and turned around.

* * *

Unsure of where to go, she walked through the less crowded areas of Atlantis till she found herself standing in front of the balcony Ronon and she often used to spend some time together. It was always soothing to watch the ocean and find some silence.

With a sigh she tripped the button and the door slid soundlessly to the side and she nearly jumped backwards when she saw Ronon's broad back right in front of her.

He must have been really deep in thoughts to miss that someone was standing behind him. Frowning she stepped nearer and the door closed behind her, but still no reaction. Something definitely wasn't right! Ronon never -never!- was oblivious to what was going on around him. Even asleep he would wake up at the lightest sound.

"Ronon?" she asked unsure what to make out of him just sitting there staring at something in his hands.

With lighting speed he suddenly twirled around and his gun was pressed against her before she could blink twice. Well, that was more like it!

His eyes widen for a moment as he realized who was standing in front of him and the gun vanished as quickly as it appeared in the first place.

"Sorry," Ronon mumbled throatily but she just shrugged. She wasn't afraid of him or angry for the way he reacted. It was just natural. Some reflexes would never leave you again after so many years on the run.

He looked slightly uncomfortable and couldn't seem to push it aside as easily as herself, which made her smile slightly.

"It's okay," she assured him.

Kaylena was just about to sit down on one of the benches when she noticed something lying on the ground. It was lying directly in front of him and she realised that it must have slipped from his hands the moment he twirled around.

Her eyes focused on it and she needed a moment to realise what it was and from one moment to the other her whole body went rigid.

A bracelet.

No! She trounced herself, that couldn't be. That was nothing more than wishful thinking and she was making a fool out of herself. There were thousand different explanations why he carried a bracelet with himself and not one of them involved her.

Bracelets contained a special meaning in her culture but not here. Not even on Sateda.

Her planet was dead and so were their rites and traditions, she should just get over it and move on. It wasn't as if she ever could have hoped or even wished for a bracelet for herself around her right wrist. She had chosen a different path, one that left no place for a family.

But so many things had changed and what once hadn't been important for her wasn't so unimportant any more.

Although she had realised some time ago that she liked Ronon and wished to be with him, she had never allowed herself to long for more then her position as a warrior woman allowed her.

A physical relationship.

It wasn't enough and not really what she wanted but she knew it was silly and foolish to long for more and she should be grateful to just be with him. To see the bracelet now, only reminded her of what she couldn't have, but so much longed for that it caused her heart seemed to ache.

Without looking at him and making and idiot out of herself, she forced her body to turn around, open the door and run.

As fast and quick as she could. She had to get away from here, from him and from her her own bleeding heart.

* * *

For a long moment Ronon could do nothing as to stare at the spot where she had been just mere seconds before. Bewildered and confused about her behaviour he remained frozen on the spot. She couldn't suddenly be afraid of him, because he had accidentally threatened her with the gun, could she?

No, as soon as the question crossed his mind, it left again. His eyes wandered over the balcony and landed on the bracelet which he must have dropped while he jumped up. He snatched it up and looked at it and suddenly he knew what he had to do.

He started to run after her.

Probably a few minutes to late if he wanted to catch up with her. She was a pretty good runner after all. Unfortunately.

Nonetheless he did his best. He was out of the door in seconds and running down the corridor which led to the gate room without caring if someone had to jump out of his way.

Ronon wasn't sure why but something told him that it was where she was heading to. And sure enough they were about to dial the gate. Sliding around the corner he came to a sudden stop and watched Kaylena discussing hectically with Dr. Weir.

Teyla wasn't standing far away and he remembered her telling him something about visiting her people. The Athosean was also the first to notice him and as usual her eyes saw more than he liked. She took a quick look between him and the dark haired woman beside her and frowned slightly.

Whatever her conclusion was in the end, she didn't voice it out loud as he stepped nearer and she greeted him welcome. But much like himself it didn't slip her notice that Kaylena stiffened subtly and avoided to look at him.

"Ronon, how can I help you?" Dr. Weir asked who wasn't too far behind to catch up that something wasn't right between the two of them.

"I'm accompanying Kaylena," he replied short spoken and made sure that his appearance didn't leave any room for discussions. Ronon had no idea, what was up with Kaylena -one moment he was trying to get his mind around offering her his bracelet and the next he was chasing after her without knowing why.

But he intended to find out and if he had to follow her to another planet for that, it was fine with him. Maybe New Athos was the better place anyway for whatever problem there may be. Sometimes Atlantis was just too crowded.

The unsure glance in Weir´s eyes told him that she wouldn't allow him to intimidate her and was about to ask further questions, apparently not happy about the sudden wish from the two of them to flee from Atlantis. But one more time it was Teyla who helped him out, while Kaylena remained abnormally quiet.

"We're only gone until tomorrow and also it's very sudden I'm sure my people would be very happy to welcome the two. Especially Kaaron. He's often asking for Kaylena and he is very fond of Ronon, too," the Athosean leader smiled warmly. "As far as I know both teams have a few days off so there should be no problem with us being off world," she reasoned and looked intensely at Dr. Weir as if to tell her to back off and let the two of them fix _their _problems.

Sighing Dr. Weir looked form one to the other with an unreadable expression.

Fifteen minutes later they were making their way though the thick forest of New Athos. Teyla was walking a few steps ahead of them, but while Kaylena was directly beside him, her eyes were fixed stubbornly in front of her. For the first time since he knew her, the silence between them was uncomfortable and didn't contain the soothing element he was used to. For now he remained silent. This wasn't the place and time to sort out their problems.

Kaylena was still stiff and only managed to relax some time later when a laughing Kaaron was running towards her and nearly knocked her over. The boy was finally able to raise a smile out of the Lotharian woman and for the next few hours everything seemed fine. Both of them played with the Athosean children. Chased them through the village and trained a little with the older ones till Teyla called them all back to eat. Traditionally the Athosean people took their meals together and talked for a while before the families separated. He hoped now he would have a chance to talk with Kaylena, but from the way she was avoiding him again he had his doubts. She was extending her time with Kaaron till the boy was too tired to keep his eyes open and the moment she left his tent he was beside her.

"Let's walk."

She kept quiet but he took it as a good sign that she followed his plea and walked beside him. He had no direct place in mind but with the fading light he knew it was better to remain near the camp. So their walk wasn't as long as both of them would have been comfortable with as they stopped at the sparring area. None of them was great when it came to words but he knew it was necessary this time. Still fishing for words they both sunk down on a fallen tree which served as a seat. Where should he start? After a few more uneasy minutes it was Kaylena who broke the silence.

"I'm sorry."

That stunned him. "You are sorry?" Whatever the reason was she suddenly tried to avoid him, he must have done something to cause this harsh reaction. So shouldn't he be the one who apologized?

"I shouldn't have run. I...I don't know what came over me." The fact that she wasn't looking at him and the quivery tone of her voice told him that wasn't entirely true. There was a reason she fled. He sighed and wasn't sure how to continue when he noticed something odd. The light was dim but it was enough to see her form clearly, especially the way her left hand was gripping and rubbing her right wrist. Something struck him suddenly and Ronon had to swallow hard before he grasped in his pocket to fetch the bracelet.

They were both sitting near enough to each other for him to notice how she stiffened when she noticed the object in his hands. So he was right with his guess. The bracelet was the reason she ran from him. Not exactly the answer he wanted to his wooing, even before he asked the question.

Well he was a soldier, he wouldn't run away before the war had started, so to speak.

He couldn't look at her so he stared at the self-made bracelet, feeling the lines and riffles with the tips of his fingers.

"On Sateda there was a woman," Ronon wasn't sure why he started there, but it was as if he couldn't stop himself from spilling out his guts. Maybe there was a normal need to clear things out before he could go to the next step.

"Her name was Melena. She was kind, beautiful and somehow I managed to wake her interest. On my home planet it was the woman who took the charge and I was lucky enough to have her." And he had been lucky. The time with Melena was one of the few happy times he still could remember, if he dared to think about her and was able to push the sufficient pain to the side. Ever since the accepted that her memory would never leave him, it was easier to thing about her and their time together. Talking about it was different though.

"She was a nurse. Always helping everyone around her and caring for them. Even me when I got home covered in bruises and worse though I promised her to be more careful and don't risk too much. She hated violence and the war was preying on her mind. Shadowing her," he mumbled the last part and remembered how hard it had been for Melena. She had been too sensitive.

Kaylena beside him seemed frozen on her spot, while he was furiously twitching the bracelet between his fingers, not really sure how to proceed.

"She was killed," he spilled out then and swallowed. That wasn't how he had intended to tell her. "I had organised for her a way to leave the planet. I wanted her to be safe and away from the wraith but she wouldn't listen to me." The lump in his throat was growing fast and furious so he hurried to spill the rest out before his courage left him. "She didn't leave. Melena wanted to help so she stayed in the infirmary with the wounded. I was able to get there, during the final attack to drag her out if necessary but before..." His voice left so did his courage to go on. He had never spoken about it to anyone. Not once in all this years and to do so seemed to make it real once more. He felt numb and empty and knew he should have kept quiet. His past held nothing but pain for him and it would have been better to keep it there.

Her warm hand on his arm seemed to push the numb feeling slowly to the side and gave him enough room to breath in deeply. Still he wasn't ready to look at her.

"There was an explosion in the hospital. She was killed right before my eyes and I...I...could do nothing to prevent it. Nothing to help her. I could just watch." There it was out. He pressed his eyes tightly shut but instead of Melena`s death he saw Kaylena lying helplessly in her own blood after she had been shot. Back then he had felt the same helplessness as in the moment Melena was taken from him. But Kaylena was still sitting beside him, supporting him with her touch to go on and if he wanted assurance about the reason for her reaction there was only one way to find out.

"When you nearly died I realised...well I started to make this for you," he told her hoarsely and nearly winced when he felt her nails digging in his flesh at his words. "Cost me a while but now that it's finished..." Ronon felt like an idiot for stuttering like that. He had never been a great talker but usually he had no problem to say what was on his mind, regardless of the situation and the person. Now the one time it was important for him to appear confident and strong he babbled like green boy.

Collecting his remaining strength and dignity he turned around to look her in the eyes. There wasn't enough light left to make out more than the outlines of her person but she hadn't moved an inch. Her left hand was still cramping his arm and from the way she was holding herself upright he could sense that she was tense. Kaylena's breath was uneven and she was looking at him straight in the eyes but didn't say a thing. Her silence was not really encouraging him but it was now or never.

"Kaylena Lirren," he started formally and loosened her left hand so he could get hold of her fingers. "My name is Ronon Dex out of Belana by Kylian Dex. It would be an honour for me if you would wear my bracelet." He had no idea if there was another formality the Lotharian people used so he reverted to something his people would do. Names and family held a great position on his planet and from the way her fingers were intertwining with his, he seemed to have done something right. After all she didn't reject him instantly.

Breathing deeply he lifted her left hand and was about to fasten his bracelet around her left wrist when she finally found to herself again and wrenched her hand out of his grip. Ronon couldn't have felt more embarrassed if she had hit him square in the face. He would have left had he been able get his body to stand up. Nonetheless he tried.

But suddenly Kaylena gripped both of his hands. "No," She rasped out hectically as if she realised she had done something wrong. It was the first time since her apology that she was talking to him, but obviously she was having troubles in finding the right words. Somehow it appeased him to know that he wasn't the only one who felt awkward.

"No," She said again, all the while she was shaking her head frantically and her fingers were holding to him in a nearly pleading gesture. "I didn't mean it like that. You...you only took the wrong wrist."

The wrong wrist? Dumbfounded he stared at her and it took him a moment before the real meaning of her words sunk in. His eyes got wide as he stared at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked throatily as he enveloped her right hand softly with his much bigger hands. What she was offering him was quite more than he could have hoped for. Much more. A few minutes before, he would have been happy enough if she had accepted his gift at all and now she was telling him that she would accept no other offers beside his.

Nodding quietly she smiled. "Are you?"

He wanted to laugh. Was he sure? He couldn't remember a time when had been more sure about something. Instead of answering he took a deep breath and fastened the bracelet around her right wrist before she could change her mind. The dark wood and leather looked good on her wrist and he was a little annoyed that there wasn't enough light left to see it clearly.

"I am sure."

And then, only hesitating for a second he kissed her. He hadn't kissed in over eight years and he could only hope that he wasn't embarrassing himself. Kaylena seemed unsure herself and the way she responded to his kiss was almost shy. A soft brush of lips against each other. Promising jet not enough to appease the rising need he felt. Never one to hold back for long he cupped her face with one of his hands and pulled her closer to him. As if she had only waited for a go on from him, her arms circled around his neck and within seconds there was a heat to their kiss he hadn't felt before. Nearly desperate both of them were holding to each other, pulling the other closer and fighting for dominance in their kiss. Ronon couldn't resist but smile when he finally felt her submitting to him, allowing him to take the lead and sighing contentedly when he pulled her onto his lap. The new found closeness heated things up to a point where it became hard to keep in control and Ronon knew it was time to stop before things got out of hand.

With more self-control than he knew he possessed at the moment he tore his lips form her. He was breathing as if he had run for miles but felt as if he could burst with happiness. This was just too good to be true. Still breathless he let his forehead fall against hers and held her close. Kaylena was much in the same condition as he and it would have been a lie to say, that his male ego wasn't pleased. Her sudden open and freely laugh maybe would have dampened that, hadn't her arms tightened around him the same instant.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know," she laughed. "I just feel happy, completely and utterly happy. I can barely remember that feeling but it feels good. Really good."

Ronon knew exactly what she meant. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted and a long neglected part had finally been freed and given hope to blossom once again.

It did feel good and he couldn't fight his own smile when he heard her gaily laugh once again. And it felt even better to know that he was the one who caused it. But the best feeling of all was the one of her lips against his own a few minutes later and he blissfully responded to her wordless demand.

Life was good for once.

TBC

* * *

A/N: So here it is...Finally they are together. The two cost me more time and nerves than I expected but I think it was worth it^^

Let me hear what you think.

I guess there are three or four chapters left for me to write. Mikosh is still out there and there are some other questions that need to be answered so I have still some work to do.

Thank you for all reviews. They are a great motivation to keep going...^^


	18. Wanted

Disclaimer: look chapter one

A/N: I'm really really sorry it took me so long. I wanted to update this story for some time now but RL had me in its ugly claws. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: WANTED

_Two months later_

Ronon had just left his room and was heading towards the cafeteria when he heard the alarm bells ringing through the corridors.

"_Unauthorised gate activity!"_

For a second he could feel his heart clench painfully before he rushed towards the control room. Although there were several teams on mainland trips at the moment he knew instantly that it was Lorne's team that was heaving problems. If it wasn't his own team it was always Lorne's.

He arrived in time with Sheppard who looked as alert as Weir who stood beside the controls questioning one of the technicians.

"What's going on?" John cried as soon as he was through the door.

Before Elizabeth could answer the technician looked up. "Mam, it's Major Lorne's ID."

"Okay, lower the shield!"

Fire salvoes flew through the gate room as soon as the shield was down and forced the Marines in the gate room to run for cover, while Ronon was running down, ignoring all qualms of safety, his gun firmly in his hands. But before he had reached the bottom of the stairs the group's scientist, stumbled through the gate, leaning heavily on Campell. A second later Lorne followed and for the second time in mere minutes Ronon's heart clenched tightly.

Where was Kaylena?

As if she had heard his silent question her body flew through the glimmering horizon and not for the first time she landed hard on her back still shooting at her enemies on the other side while she slithered over the ground.

"Raise the shield!" Instantly the hail of red and blue laser solves stopped. At least the ones from the other side of the gate. Kaylena was still firing and needed a moment longer to realise the danger was over.

"What happened?" Sheppard stormed down the stairs closely followed by Weir who looked as if she was about to ask the same.

"It was a trap. At first everything was okay but I guess they only lured us into safety," Evan piped up while Ronon rushed over to Kaylena who was putting her weapons back into the holsters and took his offered hand to stand up.

"What do you mean a trap? I thought they were friendly farmers," John protested. "You've been there before and said nothing was amiss."

"Major?" Elizabeth asked.

Lorne automatically straightened his back due the use of his title and looked at Dr. Weir before he looked briefly at Kaylena.

"On our first trip everything was fine," he started anew. "They were friendly and it looked like they would allow us to study the ancient shrine they use for their ceremonies. We went there to discuss it again today. They were friendly enough and invited us to eat with them. But the water was poisoned. Luckily Kaylena noticed it before we drunk from it."

"How did you know?" Sheppard looked astonished in their direction.

"Moyjaberries."

The questioning looks on their faces reminded Ronon that they were from another universe and therefore had no knowledge of the simplest of things. Teyla who had been silent for the whole encounter noticed the same and tried to explain.

"Moyjaberries are well known and grow on a lot of planets. They put you into sleep nearly instantly and therefore are usually used on people who are in great pain."

"Ah, well," Sheppard nodded. "That doesn't explain how you knew."

Shrugging Kaylena explained: "They have a specific smell you can only hide with strong alcohol. They gave us water. I guess they thought you wouldn't know about it."

"Well, if it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't."

"But why would they try to knock you out?" John asked with a frown.

"I've honestly no idea, they told us nothing," Lorne shrugged and Campell looked like he couldn't come up with a plausible reason either. "Maybe the wraith? There hadn't been any direct problems with them in the last few months but you never know with them."

Although Ronon was the last one to ever underestimate the wraith he doubted that they would use some helpless farmers to do the dirty work. And a look at Kaylena showed him that she shared his opinion.

"Nah, I doubt it," Sheppard spoke out his thoughts. "Sounds a little far fetched for me."

"I would suggest you get yourself checked up by Carson before we meet again for the report," Weir finally piped up obviously not willing to put that incident aside without further investigation.

"Let's say in two hours in the conference room." And with that everyone went in his own direction leaving Kaylena and him alone.

"You okay?"

She looked tired but Ronon couldn't see anything apart from a few superficial scratches. Wordlessly he offered her his hand which she took without hesitation while she returned the smile.

"Now I am," she sighed and squeezed his hand in affirmation. "I would like to shower and change and maybe take a quick nap. Care to join me?"

Ronon felt a smug smile on his lips and couldn't help but chuckle at seeing her face when her own words finally sunk in.

"Oh I didn't mean it like that. Get your mind out of the gutter, soldier!" She bawled him out before her lips twitched slightly in amusement. "At least for now, I'm completely knackered."

Still chuckling he tugged her along to her room, well aware of the curious glances from the others. Even though most people on Atlantis were used to seeing them together, they obviously couldn't wrap their minds around the idea that they had gotten closer. Ronon had caught more than one stare at their joined hands as if it was the oddest thing they had ever seen.

But he couldn't care less. Kaylena was wearing _his_ bracelet and had accepted him as her mate and he wouldn't allow anything or anyone to come between them. Not their past and sure as hell not some stuffed up, spiteful people from earth.

Squeezing her hand tighter he quickened his steps, eager to get her away from the gawking crowd and enjoy some time with her alone.

It was nearly eight weeks later, after three more attempts to capture Lorne's team, that things seemed to get clearer. Captain Dawn and his men had just returned from a recon mission and it appeared they had found the reason for the kidnapping attempts.

"So what is it?" Kaylena asked a bit bad tempered. Weir had cut her and the others off from all missions, after the last failed assault three weeks ago and she was getting restless. Though she tried to make the best out of it and spend her time with Kaaron or training Ally when she wasn't with him, Ronon knew it wouldn't take much longer until she snapped.

You can't cage a wild animal without fearing it would break free. And other than most Ronon understood perfectly well that Atlantis could rapidly become a cage for someone who quickly got restless. Deadlock was tightly associated with danger in her head.

It had taken him years to get used to the idea that Atlantis was safe, or at least as safe as a place could be with the wraith around. Still even now he needed to get away from time to time, just to make sure he could if he wanted to. To remind himself that he was here because he chose to, not because he was forced to.

They were all sitting in the report room and it was getting rather crowded with three teams present but at least most attendees were able to keep their thoughts to themselves and only opened their mouths when it was important.

Elizabeth send Kaylena an irritated glance but didn't bother to answer her, instead she looked at McKay who thereupon pushed some buttons on his notebook and before long an image appeared at the giant screen in the room. Surprised gasps and curse words could be heard around the table while Ronon gripped the chair forcefully enough to make it creak in protest. His guts clenched painfully – something that happened with alarming frequency – while he stared at Kaylena's picture in front of him.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sheppard gasped as he stared at the screen where the text beneath Kaylena's portrait said that she was wanted – alive and worth a proud sum of cash. No wonder so many people were eager to capture her.

"Mikosh!" Kaylena gritted through clenched teeth before she started swearing in a foreign language.

"That doesn't make sense," Rodney suddenly piped up. "Why would he be interested in her. She has no value."

"Rodney!" Sheppard and Weir snapped at the same moment, more out of habit than surprise about his lack of tactfulness.

"What? I just mean she already told us about the Armada and we recovered all ships that were there. What else could she offer him?" he defended himself and Ronon had to admit that it sounded logically, although he wouldn't say it out loud.

"He has a point there," John nodded with a thoughtful glance in Kaylena's direction. "Is there any other technology you know about? Or a reason for Mikosh to believe that?"

"No!"

"Maybe it isn't your brother-in-law who is responsible for this. The file doesn't say why you are wanted. Maybe you stepped on someone else toes without even knowing?"

Again Ronon watched her shake her head as the others questioned her. She tried her best to put on a blank expression but he could easily see the fiery sparkle in her eyes that promised that things would get interesting soon enough.

Her former brother-in-law was the thorn in her side and Ronon knew she would never be able to come clean with her past if she didn't take care of it. And there was just one way of doing this. For a moment his thoughts turned to Kell, his former task master, and what he did after he found out where he was. It still gave him an immense feeling of satisfaction to know that he had killed him. Though the coward had deserved a much more painful death for his betrayal Ronon had the knowledge that he got his punishment. It didn't change things, a lot of good men were still dead because of him – his home planet still destroyed, but at least he could remind himself that he had taken revenge for them and it helped him to close his eyes at night.

Kaylena would do the same the moment she got the chance to do so, though Ronon doubted it would be quick and painless.

"Maybe the Genii?" Apparently John was willing to find another explanation. "Kaylena has the gene and it wouldn't be the first time they tried to catch our people for their ploy."

"Oh, please," McKay huffed, "not everything centres around gene carriers." Obviously his _natural_ lack of it was still a sore point. "And besides there are easier ways to receive it than trying to catch _her._ Not to mention cheaper ways."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Sheppard muttered sarcastically in the scientist's direction and earned a round of agreeing snorts but as always McKay was oblivious to the Colonel's words.

"Maybe-"

"That is Mikosh's work!" Kaylena's voice didn't leave any room to argue and for once even McKay didn't try to make a comment on it. At least for a good fifteen seconds, before his mouth dropped open.

"But the ships-"

"That has noting to do with the god damned ships!" She snapped furiously. "Not any longer."

This time the silence lasted longer and in the end it was Weir who approached her.

"I understand that he is the most logical source of this," she pointed at the head-bounty file. "It is still in all likelihood possible that he isn't aware of the fact that you shared the location of the ships with us. And maybe he believes that you are in possession of more ancient technology."

Ronon could see Rodney open his mouth, but before he could utter one question Sheppard fixed him with a threatening look that shut him up.

"What other reasons could there be?" Elizabeth asked in her usual reasoning voice. "And you have to admit the head-bounty is...hefty."

Snorting Kaylena leaned back. "You don't believe he would really pay that do you? He will simply kill whoever is lucky enough to get me."

That had him stiffen up instantly but her appeasing hand was there on his leg only a second later, while she continued to speak. "You might very well be right to assume that he already knows about the ships but I doubt it. He will have heard enough stories about you to know that I would regard you as a good alliance and share my secret with you. I doubt that this is about the ships or other technologies. That's strictly personal."

"But what is his plan once he has you?" That was one from Dawn´s team and Ronon had to give him that it wasn't such a stupid question as he thought at first. There were a lot of things he could think of, which that good for nothing bastard could be interested in. And not one of those possibilities made him feel better.

"At best killing me at worst..." shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly as if she was speaking about her favourite food, "torture or hand me over."

"Only over my dead cold body!" Ronon growled and meant it with every fibre of his being.

"Hand you over?" Sheppard piped up and looked as confused as the other from earth apart from Lorne who seemed to understand instantly.

"To the wraith, John," Teyla explained to him softly. "He would hand her over to make a runner out of her. They are always searching for potential candidates."

The way she said it, suddenly made Ronon wonder if they had ever played with the idea to make a runner out of her. Teyla was more than able to hold herself in a fight against the wraith, was a good tracker and possessed enough survival skills to make a good match for them. Had the circumstances been different she might have shared his destiny.

He could easily sense that not every one on the table was convinced by Teyla's words but Ronon knew that she was right. After what Kaylena had told him about her brother-in-law it didn't seem too far fetched. On the one hand he would get rid of her and on the other he could get in the good grace of his masters, by presenting them with a new candidate for their perverted play.

"So what's the plan?" Evan dared to asked.

"Easy," Kaylena shrugged and Ronon simply knew that the others wouldn't be happy with the rest of her answer. "Hand me over, gut him and leave."

Unsurprisingly her plan wasn't met with too much enthusiasm.

* * *

Weir hadn't been happy but in the end she gave in. Kaylena knew that the reason had nothing to do with her hunger for revenge but the safety of her people and the possibility of finding some useful ancient technology.

Ironic enough it was Ronon's idea which finally made her agree with her rather sketchy plan, though Elizabeth did her best to convince her that _killing was never a solution _or some nonsense like that. And although Kaylena respected the leader of Atlantis deeply, there was nothing she could do to talk her out of killing Mikosh. After all he had done, he was a dead man walking and if she could help it she would end his worthless life rather sooner than later. It was of no importance what others thought of it.

She knew that Ronon and Teyla understood her desperate need to come clean with her past and that her wounds would never heal with Mikosh breathing and healthy around. The earth people would simply have to live with it. She would make it easier for them though and simply keep silent about the whole matter if that made them feel better.

"This way," Ronon told Evan and her while he made his way effortlessly through the crowd of people all the while shielding her from possible collisions with others. She wasn't even sure he noticed it but he never failed to make her feel protected although she didn't expect anything like that from him. It was nice though.

Evan simply nodded and wordlessly continued to walk. The Major was one of the few earth people who didn't feel the constant need for chit chat and could appreciate mutual silence now and then.

During the last months Kaylena had come to genuinely care for Evan and was glad that Weir decided to put him on this _mission _instead of Sheppard, who hadn't protested too much anyway. Possibly because of a trip to the mainland in company of a certain Athosean.

By now they were heading straight towards a rough looking building with wooden tables and benches in front of it. A hand full of people were eating and drinking in the warm midday sun while they laughed and chatted vocally.

The loudest of them all seemed to be their goal and Kaylena had to hold back a smirk as she took in the eight men around the table. Though none of them looked much like Ronon neither in height nor in appearance they all possessed a certain aura around them that made you think twice before you would cross them. Apparently the dangerous charisma was part of the Satedan culture.

"Ronon!" A booming voice interrupted a rather colourful story about a red headed woman and her skills, Kaylena would rather not hear more about.

"Ronon Dex, what a surprise," the man sounded pleasantly surprised and she could see the bright smile plastered on his face as he rose from his seat and rounded the table to greet Ronon in a bear like hug.

Ronon responded in kind and laughed good natured as he patted him on the back before he stepped back to look at her.

"Solen Sincha, this is Kaylena Lirren and Major Lorne. Solen and me served in the same regiment," he introduced them, but Solen barely made the effort to look in Evan's direction before his eyes thoroughly rested on her. His eyes wandered unhurriedly over her form and she could see him lift a brow as he noticed her weapons before he proceeded to measure her.

"As always you are in the company of the most alluring woman Ronon," Solen smiled good natured and looked back at Ronon. "Is this one also _only_ a friend?"

Kaylena could see that the man was teasing Ronon and from the deep unhappy rumble that escaped his chest, she could hear that it was working.

"No!" Ronon snapped out and possessively snaked his arm around her waist before the smile found its way back to his lips. "So back off and try to charm someone else."

"Yeah, well maybe I would if you had brought the lovely Athosean warrior along with you." That had both men laughing loudly and before they knew it, all three of them were placed around the table and introduced to the others. Not all of them were Satedan like she had thought at first but they didn't welcome them less friendly.

Before long Kaylena found herself at the end of many questions, most of them about her relationship with Ronon. Not to forget at the end of much good natured teasing.

"So tell me, why would a pretty gal like you waste her time with that grumpy bullhead over there, when she could do so much better? Now that you've been introduced to me." Draho a Satedan with striking tattoos and an unruly iroquois wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Instantly Ronon's head snapped around to shoot his fellow Satedan a dark glare but the man only laughed.

"Possessive much, hu?" he snickered.

"Hope you keep him on his toes, Kaylena. Wouldn't want him to get too cocky!" Solen's input forced a snort out of Evan who suddenly found himself at the centre of all attention.

"With her around you never have time to feel your soles wholly hit the ground," he explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Evan!" she gasped but her voice drowned in the booming laugh around her.

"So a feral then?" Draho laughed. "Ah, a woman of my own heart!" Which got him another glare from Ronon.

It wasn't before another hour, a shared meal and one or two cups of watery beer that the sole reason of their visit came up. By now all apart from Solen and Draho had left with a wave and a warm smile and gave them enough privacy to speak more clearly.

"So what brings you here?"

"We need your help."

* * *

"I don't like it!" The way Ronon paced up and down in the small room was starting to get on her nerves and she had to bite her tongue not to remind him that it had been his idea to ask his fellow Satedans for help. So there was no reason to argue now that everything was set in motion. But Kaylena knew he was just worried and though the knowledge made her all warm and fuzzy it was a bit irritating to justify her actions.

For a moment her eyes fell to her wrist and the beautiful bracelet that graced it now.

_You are not alone any longer, Kaylee. It's well within his right to worry and disagree with your decisions. You have to think about him, too, s_he reminded herself.

"Ronon," she sighed. "We both know that he won't stop with his little scheming if I don't put a stop to it. And I will. I can't live with the knowledge that he is alive and happy. This gives me the opportunity to finish it."

"I know," he muttered and looked so miserable that she couldn't stop herself from stepping towards him and pressing herself against his lean form. Instantly his arms came around her and held her tight. "I'm just worried," Ronon admitted none to surprisingly and kissed the crown of her head.

"I know," she sighed and nuzzled her cheek over his chest, loving to feel his warmth and his strong and steady heartbeat. It were moments like these she truly treasured. In the safety of his arms she felt protected, loved, cherished and needed. It was so much more than she ever thought possible.

Before she met him there hadn't been much holding her sane and alive. Sometimes it had simply been her stubborn will to fulfil her family duty and over the last few years since she knew for sure that Mikosh made it off the planet it had been revenge.

But apart from that she had lived everyday as if it was her last. It didn't worry her much that she could be hurt or even killed. She had always been a bit of a wild child but ever since Adara's death her dangerous and reckless side had been a bit too seizable. Sometimes it almost made her feel like a feral animal. Her Mr. Furious. She had build him a cage in her mind and these days he only escaped when she allowed him. And though she embraced him from time to time, even welcomed him like a good old friend she knew the line to simply forget herself again was thin.

She had to finish this before it destroyed her but more than that she had to find a way to come back to Ronon and finally dare to live her life.

Without thinking further about it, she let her hands wander around his neck and pulled his head down for a tender and loving kiss. Both of them had troubles with words at times but they rarely failed to show each other what they were feeling.

This time was no different and when they left her room an hour later to met with the others everything important had been said.

„You're really sure about this, feral?" Draho asked and Kaylena guessed she had to kick Evan for this new nickname.

"Yes," she nodded calmly and peaked at Ronon who didn't look happy but firmly pressed his lips together. "He won't believe that you caught me if I'm completely unharmed. Or you for that matter," she added and could see his lips twitch at the latter statement.

"So how do you think we should do this?" Solen asked clearly uneasy about this step of their plan in which they basically were expected to beat her up. Every once in a while his eyes would wander to Ronon and Kaylena knew Solen was worried about his reaction.

"Well I guess we could fight," she suggested and saw the amused twinkle in the other men's eyes. "And don't feel bad about hitting me, I promise I won't go easy on you either!" That had the Satedans laughing out loud and even Ronon's lips twitched.

She reached for her guns and handed them over to Ronon, not willing to loose them. "Keep them?" He nodded as he took them and squeezed her hands before she stepped back

"Won't this guy get suspicious if we don't have your guns?"

"Maybe," she shrugged, "just tell him I fell down the flank of a hill and lost them or something like that. And you can give him these," she waved her daggers in front of them before she put them away. For a moment she thought about fighting with weapons but Ronon would probably get a fit if she suggested something like that. Anyway if the two Satedaens were half as good in a fight as Ronon was, she would look ruffled enough afterwards. That was her goal after all.

The others on Atlantis weren't really convinced that it was necessary, in fact they believed it to be a bit over dramatic. They thought it would do if she was stunned but that way she would be unconscious when she was brought in front of Mikosh and she couldn't allow herself to be incapable of action or feel too drowsy to keep her balance. She wanted to do this right and to do so she would have to make sure that her brother-in-law wouldn't get suspicious.

"All right feral, let's put this behind us!" Though Draho sounded serious he didn't move and Kaylena guessed he still felt uncomfortable with the request to _hurt _her. Solen didn't look much better, in fact he appeared rather nervous which was probably Ronon's fault.

Knowing that they wouldn't make the first step she decided to help them and without any warning she attacked Solen with a rather nasty move he was barely able to block in his surprise. Her next move had him gasping for air as she landed a hit against his chest. Draho finally decided to spring into action and attacked her with a quick series of hits and kicks.

Only the fact that Ronon had used them often in their sparring lessons allowed her to block them but the sheer force of them was pushing her backwards. One of his fists finally broke through her defensive and hit her with full forth. Stumbling to the ground she used her position to roll forward and used her whole body to smack him down. Within seconds both of them were back on their feet and Solen joint Draho in his attack.

Soon it was clear that these two were not only better educated in fighting than most but had fought together in the past. Their movements complimented each other instead of hinder them and Kaylena had a hard time to hold up. For once she was lucky they were only sparring and these two weren't after the bounty for real.

When she finally decided they had left enough marks to make it believable she jumped back and told them to hold on. By now her hair was tousled, her clothes dusty and partly ripped due to her many falls to the ground. Minor scratches and bruises covered her skin on her arms and her left cheek while her bottom lip was chapped and bloody.

She was ready to go.

* * *

After Kaylena stepped through the stargate with Draho and Solen to her left and right Ronon had a hard time not to follow her. Only the knowledge that Kaylena would never forgive him if he ruined her chance of revenge had held him back. Although it had been his idea to ask his fellow Satedaens for help he wasn't happy with this plan. It was much too risky and that meant something, coming from him.

Still he knew that she needed to finish this.

So instead of giving in to his instincts and satisfy the snarling animal in him which demanded to go after his mate and make sure she was well and unharmed he had turned around and wandered back to the market.

They had agreed he would wait in the tavern but with every passing minute he was getting more and more worked up. It had been hours since she left and though there was no saying how long it would take to arrange a meeting with Mikosh and hopefully finish him off it was getting late. Trying to calm himself he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his breath. It wasn't working.

Before he knew it he was up on his legs and marching towards the gate no longer able to just sit and wait. It was located on the other side of the city and it took him a few minutes to reach the plateau. Just in time to see the wormhole open and Draho and Solen stumble out of it. The relief he felt at the sight of them was short livid when the next moment the wormhole closed behind them.

No Kaylena.

His heart stopped, he was sure of it and fear pulsed through his body like he hadn't felt it since that dreaded day in the jumper, when he was forced to helplessly watch Kaylena suffer from the shot.

For a long moment it was impossible for him to move, impossible to think even impossible to simply breathe as he stared at the gate and tried to fight the nauseous feeling in his stomach. Then a more familiar feeling took over: fury. And from one moment to the other heat pulsed through his veins, fighting off the stupor that had him in its claws and he jumped forward. Before either man could react he had his hands around Draho's neck. Not enough to kill him but enough to make him choke and helplessly gasp for air.

"Where is she?"

"Ronon!" Solen tried to argue with him but wasn't brave enough to get between him and his friend. "He tricked us! Ronon, let go!" he demanded with a nervous look towards Draho who tried his best to fight Ronon's grip off, but without any visible success given the furious state he was in.

"R-Ro-Ro-non," Draho gurgled. "Da-damn it!"

"Ronon let him go!" Solen barked and with a furious snarl Ronon let go of him.

"Where is she?!"

"We don't know," his friend admitted while Draho was still gasping for air. Solen quickly realised that it was the wrong thing to say and hurried to continue before Ronon could lunge himself at him. "It wasn't our fault. He had some kind of weapon that stunned us. I swear! As soon as he realised that she was who he was looking for, he activated it and it knocked us unconscious. They were gone when we woke up."

"We wouldn't leave her behind," Draho chocked while he rubbed his rapidly bruising neck. "But there was nothing we could do."

Ronon just stood there, no longer looking at his friends and tried to get his wild beating heart and furious thoughts under control. For the fist time in years he had no idea what he should do.

* * *

Blinking groggily Kaylena tried to figure out what the hell was going on. What the hell happened? But the rush of blood in her ears and her blurry sight wasn't making things easier. Her body felt stiff and heavy but apparently she wasn't paralysed. Something else was off though. Apart from the fact that she had no idea where she was and how she got here.

It took her a moment to realise what it was. She was moving. Or better someone was moving her -and none too gently either. Someone had gripped her arms and was pulling her forward like a sack of potatoes.

A memory of Draho and Solen escorting her towards Mikosh and his men bubbled up to the surface, followed shorty by a peak of panic and finally the memory of her smiling brother-in-law shortly before he used the shock-weapon.

_She had been so stupid!_

Slowly but steadily her senses were finding their way back to her but she couldn't hear much apart from the sound of heavy boots and the light humming of some machines. Her eyes finally focused on her surrounding which didn't comprise much beside a dark floor and the black boots of whoever held her captive.

But before her still foggy brain could come up with a plan they stopped. Obviously in front of a door because a second later the unmistakeable sound of one sliding to the side could be heard and with it she could hear voices. Familiar voices.

It was one voice in particular that cleared her head quicker than she thought possible.

"...did everything I could!" The desperate voice undeniably belonged to Mikosh.

"Obviously that wasn't enough!" A cold male voice answered in a hiss before she was brought insight. "Ah," the hissing sounded nearer, "our new guest has arrived." Another pair of dark leather boots appeared in front of her and slowly Kaylena forced her still heavy head to raise so that she could take in the rest of the person.

Dark boots went over in dark leather pants and leather suit and though she knew what she would see if she allowed her glance to wander higher she couldn't stop herself. White hair and a long braided beard framed the pale face. The tattoo that covered a great part of his left side doubled the effect of his yellow eyes.

"After all I've heard from you we finally meet." The way he said it made it sound as if she was a disease that was disgusting but fascinating to study at the same time. To him she probably was.

He must have given the wraith to her side a signal because suddenly she was pulled upwards and she wobbly tried to stand on her own feet again. For the moment she was too distracted with her own orientation and the rest of her drowsiness to do anything else than simply stare at the wraith opponent of her.

That was until Mikosh decided he was ignored long enough. "Master I-"

"Silence!" the wraith snapped but Mikosh´s voice was enough to dope Kaylena with an unhealthy amount of adrenaline.

"You," she bellowed and hadn't it been for the wraith to her side she would have had her hands around his worthless neck. Fighting against her guards with all her power she nearly managed to break the steel like grip they had on her when a stunner salve hit her queer in the chest. It wasn't enough to knock her unconscious but enough to let the wraith get the upper hand.

"Enough!" the other wraith yelled and was obviously not far from loosing his patient. Finally he lowered his weapon and glanced at her. "My subject here tells me you're in the possession of something that might be useful for us."

Frowning Kaylena looked over at Mikosh who was smiling a nasty little smile in her direction. Was he really that stupid? Did he really believe she had kept her secret for herself all these months, now that she had found a new home?

The sudden urge to laugh overcame her and she didn't even try to stop herself.

"Enough!"

"Are you talking about the ancient ship Armada?" she asked the wraith, never letting her eyes wander from Mikosh face.

"You better speak or-"

Smiling sweetly she interrupted him. "I think your _subject _forgot to tell you that I already shared my secret with someone," she could see the smirk on Mikosh lips falter and he turned awfully pale. "We already retrieved the Armada and I fear there is nothing left for you," she added with false sympathy in the direction of the wraith. "But I think you can thank Mikosh for that. Hadn't it been for him, I would have never met the people who are now in possession of it."

"She is lying!" Mikosh squeaked as he realised the potential danger she had brought him in. Kaylena just laughed. Though she realised the danger she was momentary in, the fear in the man's eyes felt too good to not enjoy it. It felt surreal but she couldn't help herself.

"Then you are of no use for us -either of you!" the wraith hissed and even Kaylena needed a moment to realise what he meant. Her laughter stopped instantly.

"But master I-"

"You can't kill him," she interrupted him. "That right belongs to me!"

"As if you-"

Again Mikosh was interrupted but this time it was by a stunning solve that brought him to his knees. The wraith didn't even go to the trouble to yell at him. Instead his yellow eyes focused on her again.

"You are quiet unique," he observed. "Don't you fear us?" As if to test his theory he stepped nearer and Kaylena could feel herself tense up, suddenly alert of the danger right in front of her.

"Ahhhh," he practically purred as if her stiffening was all the answer he needed. Stubbornly she raised her eyes and looked him directly into the eyes.

"Ah, yes stubbornness and ill-placed bravery, a trait your people pride themselves with but forget rather quickly when they are forced to face us."

"Go to hell," Kaylena snapped which only made him chuckle.

"Feisty!"

That word coming from the mouth of a wraith sounded just wrong on so many levels that she couldn't even start counting.

"Master I was your loyal follower for years!" Mikosh whined and made her want to choke him even more if that was possible. "I always did what I was told and did everything in my power to-"

"Of course you did," the wraith sneering at him obviously as disgusted with his display of spineless behaviour as she was. "But as always it wasn't enough. You have failed us one time too many. However," he looked back at her. "It seemed you were right, concerning this one. She would make an excellent runner."

Though she had known there was the possibility to end this way the reality of it suddenly struck her like an ice cold bucket of water. Ronon hadn't talked much about his past as a runner but Kaylena was good enough at reading between the lines to understand how horribly it had been. Swallowing hard she tried to held the panic, that suddenly welled up inside her, in check but with the wraith starring at her it was nearly impossible.

"Yes master she would!" Mikosh was quick to assure him.

"And you," the wraith answered with a cruel little smile. "Will keep her company!"

TBC

* * *

A/N: There are still one or two chapters left and I've decided it's time to finish this story. I will put a hold on my other stories and concentrate on Mr. Furious. So there should be an update soon.


	19. Lotharia

Disclaimer:look chapter one

* * *

_For Jedi Steel Wolf, who waited so patiently..._

CHAPTER NINETEEN: LOTHARIA

„I told you it was a stupid plan to begin with!" Rodney emphasized, not for the first time in the last two hours and Ronon was getting frustrated. More than usual that was. Sheppard seemed to notice that too and was quick to jump in.

"Okay, let's try to think logically here. Kaylena herself said this Mikosh guy would probably take her to the wraith and," he quickly added at the collectable intake of breaths around the table. "that it's unlikely that they will kill her. They are either interested in information she's in possession of-"

"Not any longer!" McKay interrupted.

"Yes, but they don't practically have to know that, Rodney!" John stressed out the last word. "And even if, it isn't to far off to believe they would make a runner out of her."

At that Ronon winced. Though he knew it was the best he could hope for at the moment it still made him nauseous to think about Kaylena on the run. But at least she would be alive for now – if she was – and he refused to believe different.

"That will give us time to find her!"

"Oh really? And how do you think we will do that? Should we just put a finger on a map and start with the first planet we pick?"

"Rodney that's enough!" Weir spoke up for the first time and regarded McKay with a pointed glare. "John is right. We need to think positive and work with the information we have."

"With _we_ you mean _me_," McKay muttered under his breath, but bit his tongue after another glare from Elizabeth for with Ronon was thankful. He wasn't in the mood to deal with McKay's ego and wasn't far from making that very clear.

Fury and despair had joined the fear that had gripped him the moment he realized Kaylena had been taken. Together they were like an angry swarm of bees, humming in the back of his mind, making it impossible to think clearly.

The feral side of him was fighting with teeth and claws to get to the surface and he was itching to just let it happen. The only reason he was restraining himself was his lack of knowledge where to start, though his patience was running thin. He wouldn't sit here much longer, listening to the others childish banter when he could be out there searching for Kaylena. At least that would be productive.

"Well that might be a problem," Lorne sighed. "We have no information about her current location and thus no idea where to start our search."

"Did anybody notice that I said the same? Why is it that nobody ever listens to me?"

"Maybe because you should over think your choice of words, Rodney."

"Oh, yeah? It's so typical that you would-"

"Can't we find out which planet they dialed, over the DHD?" Lorne asked without listening to Rodney`s whining.

"It's not that easy!" The scientist snapped immediately. "Do you think I just snip my fingers and we've all the information we need? Even if it would be possible to discover the correct gate address, we can't know for sure if they are still on the planet or if they simply stopped there for a moment."

"McKay has a point there," Sheppard agreed and sighed. "But there must be a way to find her!"

"How did you find me?" Ronon noticed all heads on the table turn in his direction at the unexpected question.

"Dr. McKay configured the deep space sensors so that they were able to track the signal from your old tracking device." Weir explained to him and was just opening her mouth to add something when Rodney started to snip his fingers in his usual hectic and self important way.

"That's it!"

Ronon could feel his back straighten and something like anticipation awaken inside him as he realized there _was_ a way to locate Kaylena.

"You can do it again?"

"No need to," Rodney shook her head. "I know where she is."

Ronon was about to jump from his chair and force the answer out of him when he didn't explain his outburst immediately, but Sheppard was quicker this time.

"_Where _Rodney!"

"Don't you realize? It's so obvious I wonder why I-"

"Where?"

"Lotharia! They will bring her to her home planet."

* * *

The first thing Kaylena noticed the moment she materialised on the planet- apart from the burning pain in her neck- was that Mikosh wasn't anywhere near her. Fuming with fury she looked around but couldn't see him or anyone else for that matter.

Back on the ship the wraith had made it clear, that her brother-in-law would accompany her but she had no idea if he had referred to their future life as runners or a run on the same planet.

The second thing that got her attention though, stopped her dead in her tracks. Mikosh and everything else was forgotten as she starred at her surrounding. Her mouth felt unnatural dry while the rest of her body broke out in cold sweat. She knew where she was, there was no doubt about it.

_Lotharia! _

Her breath hitched at the mere thought of it. She had never wanted to come back here. There were times she played with the thought – to collect weapons and other useful stuff, but in the end she had never been brave enough to dial the gate. She wasn't even sure if the gate was still there.

But before old and painful memories could overwhelm her she remembered why she was here and the realisation made her reflexes kick in. Immediately her breath quickened and her eyes searched the sky for a dart or other threats but there was nothing. For now.

The city in front of her looked like a tornado had rushed through it and showed nothing of its old colourful and inviting qualities. Nonetheless some of the buildings still stood and Kaylena knew they were the best chance she had at the moment.

She needed weapons and a plan. The few knives she kept hidden on her body wouldn't help her against the wraith and hiding sadly wasn't an option with the damned tracking device in her neck.

Her legs carried her as quick as they could to the nearest building which looked as if it might contain some useful things. The half destroyed ones didn't look safe but appeared more promising for her search. Most people on Lotharia, regardless of their age and profession, had possessed weapons which probably would come in handy for her. But the dwellings and little shops could quickly become a trap. She needed a bigger building. A depot, factory or...

A hospital!

Kaylena would have squealed over her discovery, had she been able to spare the breath. As it was she simply quickened her steps and headed towards the half destroyed building in front of her. The original large entrance was buried behind stones, boulders and other things but she could easily find her way through one of the broken windows on the side. The entrance hall, or what was left of it, didn't leave her with too many options though.

Cursing inwardly to herself when her eyes travelled over the ruined stairs and lifts she came to an abrupt stop. Her breath came in short, hard gasps while her eyes hectically scanned the room. Three of the four doors she could make out were closed and she didn't even waste the time to find out if their sensors still worked.

Instead she rushed to the one which was already open and did her best to ignore the burning feeling in her lungs which protested vehemently against her marathon through the corridors.

She had to find a way to the sublevels.

Like any important public building on her home planet,the hospitals had possessed underground escape routes which lead to a safe place. If she was lucky the tunnels would still be passable and the weapon depots wouldn't be empty. And maybe, though she doubted it, the tunnels would also weaken the signal from the tracking device.

While she struggled to cleave her way through the devastated halls she tried to figure out how much time had passed since she landed on the planet. How long would it take them to get after her? She was fairly sure she hadn't heard a dart till she entered the hospital, but that had been at least five minutes ago. And from her current position it wasn't possible to hear what was going on outside so she had to assume the worst.

Instantly she felt the need to look over her shoulder and run faster. Frustrated Kaylena thought about coming up with a new plan – not that she had many – when she finally spotted another pair of stairs to her left. Intact staircases. Or at least passable, she thought grimly as she rushed down and nearly stumbled, when a part of the stone under her gave away.

"Shit!" Gasping she gripped the banister and hurried down the rest of the steps to the sub level and searched for the symbol which usually marked the emergency route. With every step she made and every door she passed the panic that lingered inside her crawled further to the surface. There had to be an exit!

But the floor was long and her barely controlled fear wasn't helping either. Maybe she had overlooked it?

Just than she heard a sound from above. A creak, as if someone with heavy boots was walking over loose chips and rubbish.

They were here! Her breathing hitched and all she could think about was the ugly creature somewhere above her. It wasn't the first time she had to face a wraith but this time was different. Back in the final battle she had been out of her mind, not able to think clearly or to feel fear. Anger and pain had consumed her and left her without any sort of self preservation. And all the other times she came across them she had never fought against more than two at a time and usually the element of surprise had been on her side.

_Fat chance with the tracking device in your neck,_ she thought grimly.

Another crack above her shook her out of her thoughts and self-pity.

_Get a grip, girl!_

With a huffed growl she forced herself to concentrate and run quicker. She had to find the damned symbol!

And there – just when she was sure she heard steps on the staircases behind her she saw it. The ancient mark didn't look anything spectacular but in that moment it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Relieved she ripped the door open and stared in horror at the sight before her.

* * *

With a worried frown, Ronon stared at the gate which unsuccessfully tried to log in the last chevron. Instead the outer ring rotated uselessly around.

„We can't dial the gate, sir!"

"What do you mean, we can't dial the gate?"

"I mean, the last chevron won't log in, sir," the dark haired technician explained to Sheppard.

"Which means..."

"Which means," Rodney interrupted as he entered the control room, "that the gate on the planet is destroyed."

Ronon thought it was not too surprising. It was the normal course of action for the wraith to destroy the gate of the planet they conquered. But that knowledge didn't help to fight the nauseating feeling that had settled in with the new information.

"I suspected something like that," McKay nodded while he typed something into his notebook.

"You suspected that the gate is destroyed and you didn't think it necessary to say something?" John complained before he could, "instead you let us dial to -"

"To check if my theory was correct, yes!" McKay snapped and had the audacity to sound offended. But before Ronon could do something rash, like wring his neck, the scientist continued. "There was still the possibility that it was functional_ but _prospective as I am I prepared for _this_," he explained and pointed at the gate room.

"Prepared? How?" Ronon asked. McKay might be annoying and self-advertising but he was also a genius who could come up with good plans under enough pressure.

"Oh, I finished up with the_ Sirius_ and installed one of the ZPMs we got from the _Vehwendi. _It's ready for take off."

"Why -" John interrupted himself and hurried through the door. "Oh never mind. Come on then!"

* * *

Horrified Kaylena looked at the mess in front of her. The floor, where the actual entry for the tunnel had to be located, was covered with all sorts of shattered furniture and medical supplies. The room was huge. It would take her ages to locate the entrance. She wanted to cry, though she wasn't sure if it was out of despair or fury. Unfortunately she hadn't the time to find out.

Another c_rack _outside had her jumping in fright. Damn! The noise sounded close, too close for her taste and she knew she couldn't walk back into the corridor. She was trapped.

Hectically she looked around for some kind of weapon but the best she could make out was a simple iron rod. Without loosing another second she rushed over and picked it up before she hid herself behind a toppled storage rack near the door. It was big enough to shelter her form from a passing eye. At least for a moment.

Kaylena forced herself to calm down and take long and even breaths, while she listened to the noises outside. A tiny spark of anger flashed inside of her as she heard another _crack_ and she asked herself if the wraith were simply so full of themselves that they didn't care about the amount of noises they made or if they didn't view her as a real threat. Either way it would be their inevitable doom.

For a short moment the possibility, that it was Mikosh out there, crossed her thoughts but quickly faded into the back of her mind when the door opened with a bang and a wraith rushed in. He made a few steps into the room while he shifted his gun from one corner to the other and fired a few salves for good measure.

Obviously he wasn't very experienced or simply lacked the skill of a good tracker but Kaylena couldn't care less. Even before he had the chance to make one more step she jumped up and swung the iron rod with all her strength. Unfortunately his reflexes were pretty good. So instead of his head she was only able to hit his shoulder, but at least with enough force to send his weapon flying across the room.

That was her chance and quite possibly the only one she would get and with a cry she attacked him again. The next blow was a strike home and send him stumbling backwards while it gave her enough time to jump across the rack. With more confidence than she actually felt at the moment Kaylena lunged at him. She swung the iron rod in a quick series of blows which he wasn't able to block most of the time. But the damned bastard could take more than she expected him too and soon enough the tide turned and he was able to land a hit on her.

His fist hit her hard enough to send her flying through the air. The landing was hard and she had barely enough time to get back on her feet before he was on her again. He hissed like a snake every time she was able to dodge a blow.

She was still sore from the beating she received from Draho and Solen and her reflexes were a bit slower than usual, so after a few hits she felt her defence weaken and he was able to land another strike. This time she found herself slithering over the floor. Helplessly she paddled with her arms to slow her self down which only earned her some nasty cuts from the shards all around her. With a final _bang _she hit another rack which started to wobble and finally toppled over due to the force of her crash.

"Oh crap!" Her wide eyes fixed on the rack and she tried to coordinate her legs and arms long enough get herself out of the danger zone. For a second the wraith was forgotten as she literally crawled to the side.

The pain took her completely by surprise when the heavy boot hit her in the middle and send her flying through the air before she landed hard on her back. She nearly choked on her own breath as the mind numbing pain spread through her.

"Stupid human," the wraith hissed and lunged at her again. This time he tried to stomp onto her face but in the last possible moment she was able to roll around despite her protesting stomach. Suddenly she felt something familiar under her fingers and in a knee-jerking move she grasped the weapon, raised it and pulled the trigger.

For a long moment the only sound that could be heard was her heavy breathing while the wraith stared at her with a look of utterly surprise. Their staring contest continued for some time. Kaylena wasn't sure if it was seconds, minutes or hours but it sure felt like an eternity before the white haired devil simply fell to the side.

Still breathing heavily Kaylena leant back and closed her eyes for a few seconds before she got back to her still wobbly feet. For a long moment she simply stood there and tried to find out what to do.

Finally she pulled herself together and stepped towards the wraith. In no time she had rummaged through his things. There wasn't much apart from a short knife and the weapon she already had but it was better than nothing. She was just about to get up and comb through the room for the damned tunnel as her eyes fell to the tracking device on his left arm.

She could practically feel her heart stop beating for a moment as noticed the two red points on it. The one on the right side had to be her, which meant the other one farther down on the display had to be Mikosh.

"Gotcha," she muttered darkly and took the device from the dead wraith to put it around her own arm. "But first things first."

A few minutes later she found what she was looking for under a pile of medical supplies on the right side of the room.

"About time!" Without loosing another second she hurried to clear the entrance and open the heavy lid. Cursing inwardly she stared down into the pitch black hole. It seemed that her dim light from the tracking device would be her only source of light.

"Great!" With a frustrated groan she jumped down and pulled the lid back onto its place. Raising her arm she tried to use the little light as good as possible to guide her way. As far as she could see the tunnel looked okay but she could only hope that it would remain this way though she had no other choice as to try it anyhow.

Leaving her right hand on the wall she hurried down the tunnel as fast as the circumstances allowed her. She tried to ignore the burning pain in her stomach as well as the nagging fear that was still there in the back of her mind. Putting herself together she forced herself forward.

* * *

She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally saw the dim flickering light in front of her. Grinning she quickened her steps and soon enough she found what she had been looking for all the time.

The weapon chamber.

Or at least what remained from it. It wasn't too bad though Kaylena decided. She found a few guns, knives, and daggers as well as torches and explosive devices. What she couldn't find was higher developed technology.

Her eyes rushed back to the tracking device only to fix themselves on the red point that represented Mikosh. At the moment she was running in the opposite direction. Clenching her teeth together she focused on the things at hand. First she had to get out of here and probably kill some wraith before she had the chance to go after him. She could only hope that he would survive that long. It would be a shame if she couldn't finish him off herself.

Switching the torch on she collected as many weapons as she could carry and continued with her way.

A few minutes later she finally saw another mark above her and hurried to open the lid ajar to take a peek around. It looked like some kind of depot for wood, maybe a sawmill. But no wraith. At least for now.

Kaylena knew it wouldn't take them long to find her here so she had no time to loose.

_I need a plan_, she reminded herself for the hundredths time, while she climbed out of the tunnel. Ten minutes later, after a quick look around, she could feel her brain start to work logically again.

* * *

"Okay and now?"

At Sheppard's question Ronon's eyes slid from the destroyed city below him to the rest of his team which was standing next to or behind him. Apart from Teyla nobody had graced Kaylena's home planet with more than a fleeting look. For earth people Lotharia was nothing more than another destroyed planet. A place like any other where the wraith had won. They weren't overcome with the sour feeling and the lingering pain that haunted him and Teyla when they looked at the ruins that had once belonged to a proud tribe.

Shaking his head he tried to focus on the things at hand and he had to admit that John had a point. Now that they'd reached Lotharia they had no idea where to look. Other than the last time around Rodney hadn't configured the deep space sensors, so they had no idea about her exact location.

_Or if she even was on this planet._

Ronon couldn't fight the logic behind McKay's theory. It would make sense, in a sick way, for the wraith to bring their victims back to their home planet for a hunt. A familiar terrain that would give the runners a bit advantage to make the hunt more interesting and the knowledge that the memories of their past would plague the runners too.

For him to relive the last battle and Melena's death all over again had been worse than being a runner again. Ronon could only assume that Kaylena would feel the same way.

"Maybe we could use the heat sensors to locate them?" Teyla suggested which earned her nothing but a haughty look from Rodney.

"Do you have any idea how big this planet is? The heat sensor has only a limited range limit and without an approximate idea about her current location it would take hours to-" A beeping noise from his lap top forced Rodney to interrupt his rant and drop his eyes back to the display in front of him.

"Oh!"

"What?"

Ronon could feel his patience, or what remained of it, getting thinner with every second the scientist used to check his information instead of answering his question.

"The sensors recorded a sudden heat peek on the west side of the planet. In-"

"In other words an explosion," Sheppard interrupted him.

"Well...yes," Rodney had to admit and didn't look amused about John´s way of simplifying things. "But-"

"Kaylena! That was her!" The sudden rush of adrenaline in his veins felt unbelievable good and Ronon could practically feel the fingers of his right hand twitch in anticipation.

"There is no-"

"It was her!"

"But-"

"Rodney," John interrupted the scientist while he eyed Ronon's twitching fingers warily. "Drop it and give me those coordinates."

* * *

Kaylena's eyes widened in astonishment as the door and a good piece of the wall exploded with a loud bang. Obviously she had forgotten how _potent _Lotharian explosives were.

Her plan was simple and hopefully effective. She had mined all exits with the explosives she had found in the tunnel and entrenched herself behind a wall of wood in a corner of the room, where she could watch both doors.

Then she waited. Kaylena hated waiting, she simply wasn't a very patient person. And it felt as if hours passed before anything happened at all. But when it did, it did with a bang.

She had no idea how many wraith were out there but when the second explosive device detonated even before the splinters of the first bomb stopped flying around a bad feeling settled in her stomach.

She dared to take a peek but it seemed the vehemence of the explosion had pulverised everything in five feet range and a fine white dust was now blocking her view. For a brick second she thought about blindly shooting into the dusty cloud but quickly changed her mind and lowered her head again. Such action would only cost her the slim advantage of her hidden position.

Carefully she took another glance and Kaylena felt her breath hitch when she saw the wraith whose ghostly appearance seemed to downright merge with the dust. It made him look even more scary. He was slowly heading in her direction but seemed wary after the unexpected welcome.

_Arrogant bastards_, she thought angrily about their low opinion of her survival skills. She was just about to raise her weapon to finish him off when she noticed something from the corner of her eye and her reflexes kicked in before she could hold back.

Within seconds she swung her weapon around and fired. One of the two wraith which closed in on her from the left obviously hadn't seen her yet and was hit square chest instantly. The other was more vigilant and responded with a series of salves from his weapon while he jumped to the side.

Unfortunately for her, her hasty action betrayed her hiding spot to the other wraith as well, who fired at her from his position near the door. Ducking herself behind the stack of wood as good as possible, she fired back with all she had.

For a short while it seemed no one was able to get the upper hand. Though she wasn't able to hit them, the wood pile protected her better than she expected. Sadly she couldn't continue like this for very long. She had not enough ammunition and sooner or later they would tire her out that way.

She had no other chance as to take a bit of a risk, so she concentrated on the wraith to her left to give the other one the impression he had a good chance to sneak up on her.

Of course he took the bait, but was quicker then she expected him to be.

Hissing in pain she suppressed the urge to grasp her arm as the salvo hit her. Instead she allowed her frustration and anger come to the surface. Like always it helped her to shut out the pain and focus. The alarming level of adrenaline did the rest and before head another chance to trigger his weapon he sunk dead to the ground.

A series of salvoes near her ear dampened the rush of triumph she felt as she looked at the lifeless body and reminded herself that it wasn't over. Jumping for cover she robbed on all fours to the end of the pile to chance her position and give herself a bit of advantage when suddenly her opponent ceased fire.

Warily she looked around the pile and froze.

"You are defeated," the usual hiss of their voice was laced with a haughtiness that irked her to no end and even the prospect of the _six_ wraith, which were now standing a few feet away from her, could make her quiver in fear. Instead the angry animal inside her showed its ugly head once again.

She had survived their damned attack the first time and managed to live through six horrible years on her own, sometimes on the brink of insanity and now...

Now that she finally found a home, a mate and a reason to live again she wouldn't allow those life sucking bastards to ruin it by killing her.

Furthermore there was still Mikosh and she would be damned if he gott away again. A quick glance at the device showed her two blinking red lights. So he was still breathing, she wasn't too late. She would be the one to end his miserable life!

And then when it was all over...

A few months ago, she realised, there would have been nothing for her to look forward to but now, now she had Ronon and Kaaron, Evan and Alley and Ryan. Teyla and Carson. Even Sheppard and Rodney weren't _that_ bad. But most of all she had Ronon and a place to call home.

"If you come out now, your death will be quick, otherwise-"

"What's the matter?" She interrupted him, while she peeked around the corner. Obviously they weren't in any hurry to get to her. All six of them were standing in a half bow, successfully cutting her off the exits. But she wasn't interested in fleeing. All she needed was a little time while she fumbled with the last explosive device.

"Are you so afraid of me that you fear to come nearer or are your hunting skills that bad that you need your runners to yield to you in order to succeed." A quick glance and a lot of angry hissing told her that she overdid it like usual. Instead of buying her time it made them all the more determined. Hectically she fumbled with the explosive while she fired aimlessly at the group in front of her, simply to slow them down.

"I will make sure that you will _s_uffer," he snarled angrily.

"Big words for a dead man," and with that she pushed the last button on the device and hurled it in the direction of her enemies before she jumped for cover.

Once again she had underestimated the power of the explosion. The wood pile didn't withstand the energy blow and was pushed back with uncontrollable force that send her flying backwards, while the wood burst into pieces which hurled through the air like shrapnels. And even though she tried to shelter herself by rolling into a fetal position she could feel tiny splinters rip through her clothes.

A cry escaped her though when a particularly large piece speared through her already injured arm.

Hissing in pain she changed her position to rip the stake out but haltered in her move when she looked around. The fine dust was there again and Kaylena realised that it was obviously part of the bomb. She could still hear the the low ripple of wood and dust falling to the ground but other than that there was nothing. No sound and no dark silhouette but the fog was thick enough to prevent her form seeing much.

Was it possible that the bomb killed them all?

Slowly she reached for her weapon only to realise that she had lost it during her involuntary flight. Instead she grasped one of her daggers and rose to her feet while she tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her arm. Looking around she noticed that the air was getting clearer and she was able to make out a bit more of the room.

Careful not to make too much noise she sneaked forward. Step by step always ready to spring into action. The further she got through the room the more the dust faded and with it revealed the sight of dead bodies all across the ground. There was no way of saying if it were all. Some of them weren't complete, which wasn't surprising given the power of the explosive. And there was always the possibility that it was the first bomb which caught some of them.

Never lowering her dagger she knelt beside on wraith whose weapon was still in it's holster and grasped it. She took another one a few feet away and finally decided that she got them all. At least for now.

The vein on her temple was still pumping furiously due to the tension of the situation and she could barely loosen the grip she still had on her dagger. Breathing deeply she took one last look around before she put the blade aside and checked on the tracking device on her arm.

Instantly she felt her breath coming in quick, short gasps again as she noticed the blinking point that represented Mikosh.

The thought of finding out if the gate still worked and leave the planet before more wraith arrived never once crossed her mind as she started to run.

This time he wouldn't escape her. Her feral part was cheering in anticipation and suddenly she was filled with a wild, untamed energy she hadn't felt in a very long time. She barely noticed the throbbing in her arm any more, nor did she bother to rip the stake out. There were large bruises on her stomach and shoulders and blood that was spilling out of dozen little wounds she hadn't even spotted yet, but all that was pushed aside for the moment.

All she could feel was her furious beating blood and the adrenaline that rushed through her veins while her thoughts were focused on only one thing:

Revenge.

* * *

The moment they stormed through the front entrance - or what remained of it – of the old building Ronon knew they were too late. Kaylena was gone.

"Holy crap," Sheppard muttered while he looked around while Teyla, Evan and Ryan started to search for Kaylena.

His heart was ponding furiously but one look around showed him clearly who had the upper hand in this fight and he couldn't help but feel proud. His mate wasn't one to be easily overpowered and even harder to kill.

"Kaylena?" Even called out obviously concerned she would be lying around somewhere unable to stand or worse.

Ronon ignored them all and instead of combing through the hall he stepped in front of the first corpse he came across and knelt down to grasp the tracking device around its wrist.

And there – blinking on the dark screen were two red points. One was remaining stoically on the same spot while the other was gliding nearer and nearer to the same position.

Kaylena no doubt.

He had no idea what was making her run straight towards the other runner or if it even was her intention but he couldn't care less. All that mattered was that he knew where he would find her. Within seconds the device was fastened around his wrist and he was back on his feet.

"Ronon what -?"

Without listening Ronon started to run towards the blinking point. Towards_ her._ And he wouldn't allow anyone and anything to stop him. This time he wouldn't be too late.

TBC

* * *

A/N:Special thanks to Gypsy WitchBaby, Jedi Steel Wolf(another cliffy. I know, I know, I'm a bad girl...I'm sorry) and Sidina...your reviews egged me on.

There's only one chapter left...1! After two years it's nearly done and the next chappy is nearly finished...a few words more and it will be over. So the next update shouldn't take too long.

Sidina: Kurzum...Danke! So viele Komplimente in einer Review, da kann man glatt rot werden. Es freut mich das dir meine Geschichte so gut gefällt und wir offentlich eine ähnliche Vorstellung von Ronons Charakter haben^^ Animalisch und gefährlich sind zwei Wörter die ich auch benutzen würde. Rrrr...

Für Ronon gibt es meiner Meinung nach zwei Typen von "Gegenstücken". Den Melena/Keller Typ...sprich Sie heilt wo er draufhaut *g* oder halt den Kaylena Typus...jemand der ähnlich denkt und handelt wie er selbst. Ich persönlich tendiere (welch Überraschung) zum letzteren Typen. Allerdings liegt mir der wehrhafte Typ Frau auch eher als der, der beschützt werden muss. (Find Amelia Bones deswegen auch gar nicht so unpassend für ihn auch wenn es in der Serie eher wie ein Schnellersatz für Keller rüberkam - aber mal ehrlich: Wer nimmt Rodney! wenn er Ronon haben kann?)

Lemon/Lime/Smut...da schauderts mich vor. Nicht weil ich deinen Vorschlag schlimm finde, aber ich bin unheimlich schlecht darin so was zu beschreiben. Zu einem One-Shot oder evt. einer kleinen Fortsetzung könnt ich mich hinreißen lassen, sollte ich mal mehr Zeit zur Verfügung haben. Vielleicht wäre ich da ein wenig eindeutiger aber es wäre sicher nichts was den Titel "Lemon" verdienen würde. Sorry^^

Hoffe du hast am Rest der Story genauso viel Spass wie bisher

Shan


	20. Coming home

Disclaimer:look chapter one

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY: COMING HOME

Kaylena had no idea how long she had been running. It seemed she had lost any sense for the things around her. Her eyes were purposefully focused on the tracking device without sparing a glance to her surrounding.

The fury and sorrow inside of her were edging her on and she could literally taste the blood her feral part was demanding for. Eye for eye, blood for blood.

Mr. Furious was screaming in delight as the adrenalin rushed through every part of her body and made her faster and faster, easily pushing the exhaustion to the side she should have felt after all that happened.

The prospect of finally getting her revenge was too alluring and send warm, exciting shocks through her body. Mixed with the pain -physically and mentally alike it was an oddly familiar feeling. Six years ago she had felt quite similar and somewhere in the back of her mind she could feel a spark of fear rising to the surface.

It was dangerous when she allowed herself to get too primal, too based on instincts but it was so hard to fight it and if she was honest with herself she didn't want to. Not at the moment, not when it could cost her her revenge.

Finally the spot that displayed her on the device was nearly covering the other one. Realising she was almost there, she slowed down and only now took the time to look around.

The second she realised where she was she froze. If she had thought coming back to Lotharia had been a shock it was nothing compared to what she was feeling at the sight in front of her.

The blood which only seconds ago had been pondering powerfully through her veins seemed to freeze instantly. Her breathing stopped as did everything else at that very moment as she stared at the ruins of her childhood home.

Kaylena wasn't sure what was happening to her, she just stood there staring motionless before everything came crashing down at once.

Pure, uncontrollable panic overwhelmed her. Suddenly she couldn't breath quickly enough to fill her lungs with air, her heart wasn't able to beat fast enough to compensate the shock that threatened her system and her mind was neither quick nor strong enough to withstand the memories which suddenly stormed through her mind.

The house looked almost like the last time she had seen it, barely touched by the chaos around. A few windows were missing and here and there were visible traces of fire weapons on the wall. The garden was savaged and time and nature had reclaimed the outer parts. But all in all, it looked like the day she had come here to look out for her family.

_Kaylena was running as fast as she could through the streets, which wasn't easy given the chaos of the battle all around her. But she only fought when she couldn't avoid it while she forced her legs to go faster and faster, stubbornly ignoring her screaming lungs. _

_Already she had lost so many. Her mother and her older sister as well as her nephew and sister in law._

_'All gone,' she thought bitterly and felt the thread of fresh tears when she remembered one of her fellows telling her just minutes ago that her oldest brother had fallen as well. _

_But she couldn't break down now. There were still people who depended on her. _

_'I'm coming 'Dara, I'm coming to get you,' she thought to herself. _

_She remembered the frightened look in her sister´s eyes when she spoke to her viva screencom after the first attack. Adara had begged her to come home, not able to bear the thought of her fighting in the first line but Kaylena couldn't do that. She had made an oath to fight and protect, one she couldn't simply ignore, regardless of how much she wanted to stay home and protect her loved ones. _

_Now she was free to do so and she was giving everything in her to get there in time. There were still ways to leave the planet though they were getting slimmer with every passing second. And the fact that 'Dara was pregnant would make it much more difficult to move quick. _

_'Maybe, maybe they have already left.' It was a slim hope one she knew to be nothing than wishful thinking. Adara wouldn't leave the planet without knowing she was safe, too. Never, regardless of what she made her promise her. _

_Cursing her baby sister´s stubbornness inwardly she fought her way through all danger zones till she finally could see their home. _

_The area wasn't directly in the city so she had hoped the chaos wasn't too overwhelming here but much to her horror she was proven wrong. The wraith were already here though her people gave as good as they had to take. Soldier or not, no on on her planet would go down without a fight and the wild determination she could make out all around her fed her new strength. _

_Then she was there, passing through the gate just in front of their garden only to notice the half open door. Her heart clenched painfully, as she realised that nobody inside would have left it open. _

_Kaylena rushed inside and nearly stumbled over the body spread lifeless over the floor. It was crumbled and sucked dry, no longer recognisable as the person it once had been, but Kaylena recognised his clothes and more than that, recognised his weapons he still clutched tightly in his hands. But before she had a chance to break down beside her father and spill the tears she felt burning in her eyes she heard the fearful scream of her sister. _

_Within seconds she was up the stairs. _

"_Mikosh, help me!" _

_Adara`s sobbing voice was breaking her heart and she hoped that her damned husband would be able to protect her just a few seconds longer. Then she would be there. _

_But everything happened so fast. _

"_Take her!" Mikosh`s words were too unbelievable that she could realise their meaning in time and then..._

_Adara`s agonised scream told her what was happening even before she had to witness it and mixed with her own pained scream as she burst through the door only to see the lifeless body of her pregnant sister fall to the floor._

_The picture of Adara laying there on the floor and the knowledge that she had been only mere seconds too late made something snap inside her and with an inhuman growl she was on the wraith. _

Adara would still be there Kaylena realised. Her body would still lie there in the room which had been theirs as they grew up together, which 'Dara had painted in bright colours and stuffed with all sort of toys and other things so the twins could move in there once they were born.

Oh god, oh god she couldn't go in there.

Her father would also be there. Just behind the door, where he lost his life protecting his daughter. The last time Kaylena had been too distracted to mourn him in any form but this time she wasn't sure if she would be able to walk past him.

The panic that had gripped her at the sight of her family home had subsided lightly but she was still shaking badly and was barely able to raise her arm to stare at the device.

Mikosh was in there.

She was torn between the wish to escape the horror that awaited her inside the house and the urge to find her brother-in-law.

Anger flushed through her at the thought of the scum inside her home. He had no right to even look at it - much less step inside. He was hiding his sorry ass in the same place he killed his wife. The same place that had become her grave.

She had to do it. If she wanted to avenge her sister she had to do it. If not for her own sake than at least for 'Dara and the little ones.

"You have to," she whispered to herself but she still couldn't made her legs move regardless how much she wanted them to.

"_Please come home, Kayle. Please, please, please. I can't bear the thought of loosing you!" Adara`s dark eyes were swimming with tears and Kaylena wanted nothing more than to make them __stop but she knew she couldn't. _

"_I can't 'Dara. You know I can't. It's my job to fight, I took an oat," she answered calmly and was glad that it was only a vidcall. Otherwise her sister would have simply taken her into a hug and pleaded till she gave in. _

_Her sister was the only one who could make her give in. But this time, with the wraith besieging their planet, it was impossible. _

"_Then I will stay as well." _

"_NO!" She snapped instantly. "You will leave if you have the chance to do so. Do you hear me, 'Dara?" The determined look in her sisters eyes made her heart clench painfully._

"_Where's father? Or that god damned husband of yours? I will make them force you if I have to. I mean it 'Dara!" _

_The stubborn raise of her sisters chin even made her pledge. "Please 'Dara. Promise me to leave if you find a way." _

_Sniffing her sister gave in and nodded though Kaylena wasn't entirely convinced. "Alright. But you know it's nearly impossible now. They're already blocking the gate and it's risky to use the ships."_

"_I know, but any real chance of escape is better than remaining here." _

"_I'm afraid, Kayle," her sister whispered fearfully and her eyes filled with fresh tears. _

"_I'm not letting anything happen to you. I will be at your side as soon as I'm allowed to, I won't let anything happen to you."_

"_But what about you, Kayle? I'm so afraid something will happen to you. Who's looking out for you? I should have joined forces with you when I had the chance to do so. Than I wouldn't be so useless now. Then we would be together and looking out for each other like we always did and you wouldn't have to worry about me."_

"_Don't say that! You aren't useless. You're wonderful as a nurse and you'll be a wonderful mother just like you are a wonderful sister," she retorted hotly and asked herself where the sudden flash of self-doubt came from. _

_Usually her sister was a bundle of energy. Full of light and laughter. This fearful and deprecatory side was unusual, though Kaylena had noticed it for some time now. At first she thought it to be the pregnancy hormones but the longer she thought about it the more she realised that it had shown up before. _

_Personally she suspected Mikosh had something to do with it, but she knew her sister loved him and it was nothing more than a feeling on her side, so she kept silent and watched. Unfortunately she wasn't home often enough to watch it on a regular basis. _

"_And we will always be together 'Dara. We will always look out for each other. Nothing has changed that and nothing ever will." _

But everything had changed and certainly not for the better until recently. And now she had the chance to finally draw a line under her past. At least give herself the chance to come clean with it. She wasn't sure if she ever could, but she knew with all her heart that it would never be possible without making sure Mikosh had received what he deserved.

Eventually she found it in her to move and once she did so she did it with determination. Gripping her weapons tightly in her hand Kaylena did her best to push the memories to the side and concentrate on the things at hand.

Killing Mikosh.

She didn't stop before she was standing in front of the half open door. Putting all her will into it, she slowly raised her hand and push it open, willing her eyes not to look at the floor, though it was futile. Gasping she stared at the spot. There was no body, no bones and clothes not even the faintest sign that it had ever been there. For a split second Kaylena tried to tell herself that her memory was false. That she had only imagined her father´s death but that was nothing but a desperate wish.

Blinking she tried to focus and suddenly she was able to hear noises. Faint hissing and gurgling sounds but they were definitely there. Frowning she realised that they weren't as far away as she first thought, she had simply blanked out for a moment.

And with a sudden insight Kaylena realised what she was hearing...wraith.

_Oh no, not this time..._

Within moments she rushed forward, towards what once had been the kitchen. She wouldn't allow them to take her kill.

_He's mine!_

All the previous anger and fury was back again she didn't even hesitate for a second before she kicked the door open and pulled the trigger.

Time stopped for a moment or so it seemed, before the wraith who had been feeding on fell motionless to the side and allowed her to stare directly at Mikosh who was sitting on a chair against the wall.

The once tall and handsome man was nothing more than a shrivelled and fragile shadow of his former self. His hair was white, his face haggard and his clothes much too big for him as if the wraith had sucked more than just life force.

Her breath hitched at the thought that he was dead but before she could panic there was a slight movement and he opened his eyes.

They were still clear and blue. Like the first day she had met him, like the day he had risked a last glance in her direction before he fled the room while she attacked her sister´s murderer.

Pointing the gun at his head she stepped nearer. Ever so slowly she crossed the room till she was directly in front of him. Her gun was touching his forehead while her eyes never left his which were staring at her with an odd mixture of confusion and panic.

Now, all she had to do was pull the trigger. One slight movement and it would be over, he would be gone. So why didn't she do it?

"Why?" Kaylena heard herself whisper. Her eyes left his to stare at his mouth but he said nothing. She wasn't sure if he couldn't speak or simply refused to answer her question but either way it only fuelled her anger.

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why!"

Each time her voice was getting louder and shriller. "You were her husband! It was your duty to protect her! To protect your children!" She snarled. "You killed her...you killed her to save your own worthless life!" Now that she started she wasn't able to stop her rant.

"A few seconds...just a few seconds longer Mikosh and I would have been there. She would have lived! I would have saved even you. For her and the little ones I would have done it! I would have done everything to make her happy and ensure her safety. Just like you should have done!" By now she was yelling and pressing the gun against his head with brutal force. All the while he was staring at her with wide open eyes full of confusion.

A rasping noise turned her focus back on his mouth which was moving in an obvious attempt to speak. He was whispering and she could barely understand what he was saying at first but finally she could make out a name between all the stuttering.

"A-A...Ad.._dara_..."

"Don't speak her name!" She snapped but he didn't stop, instead he was repeating her name over and over again till Kaylena realised he was obviously mistaking her for her sister.

"..._A..da..ra my love..." _

A wave of blinding hot fury shot through her and she pulled the trigger.

Lowering her gun she stared down at the man had taken the most precious thing away from her. Now he was dead and she should have felt good. But in truth she felt just empty.

The following silence was only interrupted by something falling to the floor. Kaylena's eyes followed the sound and finally she stared at the little_ holocube_ in front of her feet. Mikosh must have held it in his hands before she...before death loosened his grip.

Slowly she leant down to pick it up.

* * *

Ronon didn't stop in his run till he was standing directly in front of a house. The device on his wrist, as well as the two wraith he had to kill on his way here, proved that Kaylena and the other runner were in there. Or at least the other runner had been there, till a few minutes ago the blinking stopped. Whoever had been send here together with Kaylena was dead. What irritated and frightened him likewise was that Kaylena's had to be in the same room, just a few inches away and her point wasn't moving.

With one last quick glance around he finally rushed through the door. He tried to be as silent as possible while he stepped nearer and nearer to the room were Kaylena must be. Suddenly the unexpected sound of warm and tingling laughter reached his ears and had him frowning.

"_...proud of you, Kayle. Father thinks so, too. Even Josha and Jaden were grinning like idiots when they heard that you've been chosen for the position."_

The door was open and hesitantly Ronon dared to take a look. What he found was not what he'd expected.

At the far end of the room was the body of a man hanging from a chair. He was nearly sucked dry, obviously from the wraith who lay dead on the floor just a few feet away. But the state of the man's face left little doubt about the real cause of his death.

"_Jaden told Kita and Dragon and I swear, his chest couldn't have been more puffed up if he himself had been chosen for a prime guard." _

The two dead bodies were quickly forgotten when Ronon took in the rest of the scene. There sitting on the ground was Kaylena – bruised and weary but very much alive. She had her back to him and was staring at a woman in front of her oblivious to everything around her.

It took him a moment to realise that the woman had to be some kind of hologram, like the ones the ancients on Atlantis had used.

Again good natured laughter could be heard and Ronon found himself staring shell shocked at the image when the realisation of whom he was looking at, hit him like a buck of water. Apart from her obvious pregnancy and the slightly lighter hair the woman in the hologram looked exactly like Kaylena.

_Twins! _Adara and Kaylena had been twins. No wonder that her death had hit her so hard.

"_Mother and Mahla are worried, but you know how they get so don't worry if they are trying to give you a hard time about risking your life. Josha, Jaden and even Father have to listen to the same stuff all the time and it isn't as if she has never given you the talk before so I guess you simply have to live with it."_

Adara winked good naturedly at Kaylena and Ronon found himself spellbound by the image of the glowing woman. Would Kaylena look like that if she were pregnant?

Shaking his head he pushed the unexpected thought to the side but remained standing in the door frame unsure of what to do.

"_But enough of that. Let's talk about _my_ new job!" _Adara smiled and stroked her belly lovingly. _"It's only two more months and they will be there, can you believe it? I know you'll have a lot to do with you new job but I really hope you will be there when it's time. You know, the little ones should know their guardian...you will be their guardian right, Kayle? I couldn't imagine anyone better for it. I wouldn't have to worry if I knew you looked out for them like you did for me."_

Soft sobbing noises drew Ronon's attention back to Kaylena who was still sitting on the floor. Unlike before her body wasn't stiff and stoic but shaking from the force of her tears. He wanted to go to her and hold her but he wasn't sure if she would be okay with that at this time.

"_It's time to come to an end. You know me, I could talk for hours but Mikosh promised to meet me in the city in an hour so we could buy a few things for the little ones and I'm not that fast like I was used to," Adara laughed and rubbed her belly. "Call me soon, Kayle. I love you." _

And with a last warm smile Adara vanished, leaving her sister crying brokenly on the messed up kitchen floor.

Ronon's chest clenched painfully as the sobs got louder and more heartbreaking. Pushing his doubts to the side he rushed to her side and fell beside her to the floor and pressed her against him. Kaylena was taken by surprise at his sudden appearance and was ready to defend herself against a possible attack before she recognised him. Her eyes were wide and swollen from her tears as she looked at him and Ronon could see her fighting for composure. Obviously ashamed of her tears.

Shaking his head Ronon pulled her closer. "It's okay," he assured her and as if she had only been waiting for a signal the dam broke. She threw her arms around his neck and held onto him for dear life as she allowed herself to finally mourn her loss. Her cries were on the edge of becoming hysterical, her body shook from the force of her sobs and she clung to him so tightly that it was nearly painful but Ronon let it go.

She needed this. Though she had been fighting and living through the past six years she never had the chance to come to terms with the death of her family. There had always been obstacles holding her back: First the wraith and her fear of her feral part, then the worshippers and last but not least Mikosh. The real thorn in her side.

Now he was dead, as another quick look to the other end of the room assured him and the wounds of the past could finally heal. It would be painful and would take time as Ronon knew from his own experience but he would be there and look out for her.

And he would start now. The tracking device in her neck was still active and he had to get her out of here so Becket could deactivate it.

Quietly he informed Sheppard about their current location and waited impatiently for their arrival while Kaylena slowly calmed down in his arms. Her cries turned into broken sobs and finally ended in soft weeping against his chest. Every now and then he could hear her hiccuping the name of her sister while he did his best to sooth her until he heard John's voice telling him about their arrival.

Shifting his hands under her back and knees he rose to his feet.

"Time to go home," he mumbled into her hair and kissed the crone of her head before he headed back outside.

* * *

_7 months later:_

"Who is that?"

Kaaron´s question had Kaylena pausing from unpacking his things.

She had visited him often in the previous months on New Athos and once in a while he accompanied her back to Atlantis. She had a soft spot for the boy and he had obviously taken a liking to her which didn't frightened her as much as it had in the beginning.

In truth she had come to enjoy and cherish their time together. The Athosean family who had adopted Kaaron were good people and Kaylena saw herself more in the role of a guardian than a sister or even mother.

She would teach him how to fight and go tracking in their time together or she would simply watch him while he took his lessons with the other kids. Sometimes she even learned something new, like sewing her own clothes or basic words in Athosean.

From time to time Ronon would accompany her and teach Kaaron hunting skills, though usually he was anxious to give them some quality time.

"She looks like you," Kaaron astonished voice made it clear that he had never met a pair of twins before. With a childish fascination he stared at the picture and back to her. Smiling tightly Kaylena made her way over to him and sat beside him on the bed.

The picture showed her and Adara at the age of maybe sixteen. Each had slung an arm around the shoulder of the other and they were smiling brightly into the camera. At that age they had looked so similar that even their family had trouble to tell them apart.

Ronon had found it and brought it back to her, together with a few other pictures. After Carson had deactivated the device in her neck and she had calmed down enough to think half-way clearly she'd realised that Adara´s body was still lying on the floor of the nursery. Though she wanted to go back to bury her body she was too frightened of seeing her. She had cried for days and beat herself up over it but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

But Ronon did, without her knowledge, knowing full well she would never have asked something like that of him. According to him the house had been empty. Like the one of her father, Adara´s body was gone. He had brought her the pictures though, and Kaylena would forever be thankful for it just as for all the other things he did.

Ronon was always at her side when she needed him. He made her laugh and enjoy her life. And though their stubborn natures sometimes clashed and he could get her temper riled up like no other she was genuinely happy with him.

While the others did their best to help her while she tried to come to terms with her past it was Ronon who she turned to. Their similar experience made it easier to open up to him. He could understand the depth of her loss and the horror of what it meant to watch helplessly while a loved one died.

It still hurt but not as much as it used to. By now she could even look at Adara´s picture without breaking out in tears. So a short time ago she'd finally decided to put the photo next to her bed.

"That's my sister," Kaylena finally answered and took the photo in her hand.

"Where is she now?"

"She...she's gone."

"You mean she is dead!" Kaaron told with childish brutality and she felt herself wincing at the force of the words.

"Yes," she nodded anyway.

"Do you think she is with my mummy now?" The unexpected question made her forget her own pain for a second and she looked at him. His bright blue eyes were looking at her questionably and she couldn't help but reach out and stroke his soft light hair.

"I'm not sure, what do you think?"

"I would like it if my mum isn't so alone. Now that I've got you it would be nice if mummy and your sister could be together, don't you think? I mean till we can see them again."

Swallowing hard she studied him. He was so young and had lost so much already but he didn't wail and buried himself in misery. Instead he found comfort in his belief that one day he would see his mother again - and who knew, maybe he was right.

Smiling she pulled him to her side and kissed the crown of his head. "Yeah I would like that too. I'm sure Adara would love to wait for us together with your mum. But it will take some time till then." With a last look at the picture she put it back on its place and stood up not wanting to speak more about it.

"How about we look out for the others? We could meet Ronon in the gym and you can train with Ally," that was if the petite redhead could tear herself away from Evan for some time, she thought smiling. They had been together for a few months now and seemed happy with each other and Kaylena was pleased at the way all had turned out.

"Yes!" Kaaron beamed up at her, all thoughts of losses and death forgotten. And for now she could do the same.

* * *

_She found herself running again. Like so often before she was in a thick overgrown forest and not so surprisingly she was bare feet. After years of undergoing this dream she knew the routine so she wasn't all that surprised when an icy shudder on her back acknowledged the presence of danger behind her. _

_Her breath hitched and her legs automatically tried to move faster. But it wasn't any use, the thing kept behind her. It kept going like that for some time and slowly Kaylena could feel her muscles beginning to ache and her lunges started to burn from the lack of oxygen. It was always like that, she knew, but she couldn't stop the panic that was beginning to creep its way inside of her. _

_'You have to keep going. Just keep going girl!'_

_She wouldn't be able to keep that tempo up and sooner or later that meant it would get her, it was simply to close behind. For a while she tried to run criss-cross, changing her direction as often as she could. With the result that she had no idea where she was any longer and the thing was still behind her. _

_Her feet were torn and hurt like hell and if that wasn't enough the blood made them slick enough to slip every now and then. For a short moment she was able to feel the icy breath so near that it made her heart clench and this gave her enough strength to jump up and keep going. She could practical hear it feeding on her fear and desperation, something she had never realised before and suddenly out of nowhere she stopped. _

_For all intents and purposes it had to smack right into her, but nothing happened. It was there but it wasn't coming nearer. Apparently it was waiting for her to do something, to make a decision. _

_Her chest was quickly rising and falling, doing it's best to supply her body with the badly needed oxygen while her heart was beating furiously. Partly due to the physical workout but an even bigger part due to her fear. Her fingers clenched and unclenched in an nervous attempt to collect her courage. _

_'Do it, just turn around. You have to end it, once for all!' She told herself and finally twirled around and stared open mouthed at the thing behind her. _

_It was herself. _

_But before she could wrap her mind around it, 'her' face shifted and she was looking into the face of her father. Then it was her sister looking back at her. _

_She wanted to open her mouth, to say something but nothing came out so she just stared and before she could so much as blink again, it was Josha she was staring at, then Jaden. Quicker and quicker the thing changed its appearance. First it showed her her family, then she looked at friends and comrades and finally it was her own face she was looking at again._

_At first she wasn't sure what to make of it. The fear was gone, but she had expected to feel pain and sorrow at the sight of the familiar faces but she just stared at it with vexing calmness. She and her refection stared at each other for quite some time before Kaylena finally understood what really had been hunting her for all this years: guilt and fear. Guilt for being the only one who lived and fear to join them at the same time. _

_But it hadn't been her fault and it wasn't time for her to go at this time, so she shook her head. _

"_I have a new life and a new home," she told her dream self. "There is no place for guilt and fear. You have to leave and let me start anew. There's no place for you!" _

_For a short moment Kaylena thought she saw a smile on 'her' face but it was too short and too quick before it simply vanished to be sure. _

With a start she awoke only to stare at Ronon's worried face. Obviously she had fallen asleep on the sofa with her head on his lap.

"You okay?"

Kaylena reconsidered the question for a second and finally nodded. "Yeah! Actually," she mused and smiled up at him "I'm more than okay. What about you?"

He regarded her with a playful smile that sent a warm feeling through her body before he leant down to press a quick kiss to her lips. "Good."

She could hear his voice rumbling through his chest which had her smiling even more. Reaching up with her hand she tried to hold him down but he simply cupped her hand in his and pressed it to his mouth. He kissed her palm while his thumb played with the elements of her bracelet. The look in his eyes was warm and so full of affection that it made her breath hitch.

_'I love you,' _the thought twitched through her mind so unexpected that she spoke it out loud before she could stop herself. His mouth stopped his ministration and Kaylena could feel her cheeks heat with embarrassment due to her slip of tongue. She had no experience in this kind of thing but surely it was much to early for this kind of confession. Quickly she averted her eyes and tried to pull her hand back but he stopped her and squeezed her hand.

"Look at me," he demanded in an gruff voice. She didn't want to but did it anyway. "You see that," Ronon asked and positioned her arm so that she looked directly at her bracelet. Warmth filled her again but this time out of affection not because she was embarrassed.

"I wouldn't have asked you to wear it, if I didn't feel the same."

He didn't say the actual words but he said enough and the look in his eyes did the rest for her. Without loosing another second she pulled him down and kissed him passionately. Things heated up pretty quickly from there and Kaylena was glad that Kaaron was still with Evan and Alley. But of course their perfect moment had to be ruined like so often before by the wailing sound of Atlantis warning system.

* * *

Five minutes later both of them were staring at the monitor in front of them, just like the rest of their teams. The euphoria she had mere minutes ago was replaced by queasy feeling as she watched the dots on the screen coming nearer.

"When will they be here?" Sheppard asked an ashen faced Rodney who seemed unable to avert his eyes from the mass of wraith ships that were on their way to Atlantis.

"They seem to take breaks, so it's hard to tell. A month, maybe a bit more?"

That bit of information had them all swallow visibly, till Weir finally took a deep breath and passed the necessary orders.

And while all others sprung into action Kaylena left the control room and stepped out on one of the balconies to look at the ocean, thinking about what she had just found out.

She wasn't astonished to feel Ronon coming up behind her, resting his chin on her head a few minutes later. In fact she had hoped he would follow her and she allowed herself to relax against him while both of them mused about their future.

A new danger was coming up on them and threatened their home, but Kaylena had known all along that the war with the wraith wasn't over. It never was, she had learned that in the past. The difference was though, she wasn't alone any longer.

Winding her fingers through Ronon´s she enjoyed the light breeze out there and hoped the storm would pass them by.

***end***

* * *

A/N: OMG I'm done. After over two years I finally finished this fic.

Thank you for all your reviews.

I hope you enjoyed it.


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